Freedom
by angelarms
Summary: [Complete]After the anime...will Vash and Meryl finally find the freedom and lives that they want to live?
1. why dont u apologise to him?

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun...obviously.  
  
Angel: Yay yet another Vash/Meryl fic by me!  
  
Knives: So do I get a part?  
  
Angel: Yeah, you play the idiot in distress.  
  
Knives: I hate you. *scowls*  
  
Angel: Oh no you hurt my feelings *pretends to cry*  
  
Knives: *Evil glare*   
  
Angel: You're so cute when you act all evil.  
  
Knives: It isn't an act you pathetic human.  
  
Angel: You know that evil guys get all the fans don't you?  
  
Knives: What ever.  
  
Angel: What! You don't believe me? Just look at Legato. *Points over to where Legato is being bundled by hundreds of screaming fans*  
  
Knives: O.O *sweat drops and runs away*  
  
Angel: Okay now on with the fic *bows and chases after Knives*  
  
Part 1: Why don't you apologize to him?   
  
Staring at the glass cupped in her cool palms she bowed her head slightly to catch sight of the gleaming liquid in the dull lights of the bar. The drink sat cradled in her grasp as if mocking her and she tipped her head to one side and drew in a deep breath. Part of her badly wanted to drink the alcohol that shimmered before her, telling her that it would help her forget the pain in her heart and the fatigue that had slowly crept into her muscles. Yet at the same time she realized that it might be a bad idea, she had to get up early for work in the morning and she didn't want to break her no-drinking rule.   
  
She snatched her hands away from the glass and scowled at the disgusting drink, which made devils of even the sweetest men. She could think of one man who acted like a total idiot when he got drunk...but then again he always acted like a fool.   
  
No, Meryl Stryfe the respectable, hard-worker would not stoop to the level of Vash and all the others like him...even if she was desperate to forget all that had happened since the humanoid typhoon had returned with his brother.   
  
She shifted uncomfortably on the stool and lifted the glass up to observe the liquid again. 'It couldn't hurt could it...just one glass never hurt anybody...right?' She rubbed her forehead in frustration as the start of a headache itched into her skull and made her eyes ache and placed the glass down again.  
  
The bartender who had been watching her from a distance approached cautiously and leaned over the bar so she was standing opposite the young insurance girl.  
  
"Hey there miss, seems like your feeling down today." The older woman put on a kindly smile, which wrinkled her face into the friendliest one Meryl had seen for a long time. This smile alone was enough to brighten the spirits of the weary girl and she actually managed a smile in return.  
  
  
  
"I guess you could say that." She ran her fingers through her raven hair, which pooled around her face in delicate silken threads.  
  
"Wanna talk about it?" The bartender asked as she grabbed a cloth and began to rub down the bar.   
  
"I don't think you want to know." Meryl slumped forwards and let her gaze fall onto the drink again.  
  
"Try me." The bartender challenged before drawing up a chair to sit down. "I might be able to help you, there isn't much that I haven't been through myself you know."   
  
Their eyes met and Meryl shrugged and sighed miserably; "Men." She murmured and the older woman laughed and nodded. "I thought it might be." She leaned forwards resting her elbows on the bar and propping her head in her palms giving Meryl her undivided attention. "Go on." She urged gently.  
  
Meryl nodded and opened her mouth to speak of what had occurred between her and Vash the day he had returned. It was a day she would regret for the rest of her life and one that she had planned to keep as a secret. She was ashamed of how she had acted and now this kind stranger would know what she had done.  
  
***Flashback***  
  
Meryl had been working extremely hard whilst Vash was away fighting his brother, no one could deny that. She was up at six o'clock every morning so that she could go to work in the restaurant that was in the town center. After working there from seven in the morning to five in the afternoon with only a couple of breaks she then went to work at a small bar in the evenings. The only reason she chose such long hours because they desperately needed money to live on. The insurance company had stopped sending as much money because they had broken contact with Vash the Stampede and she had no other choice.   
  
These were not the sorts of jobs that Meryl was used to doing, she hated the way the men leered at her with their ugly thoughts shimmering in their eyes and she especially hated it when drunk men lusted after her in the bar. Twice she came close to firing her derringers into the faces of those disgusting men but every time she considered it she knew it was a bad idea. For one thing Vash would never forgive her for firing on a person who was too drunk to know any better. That was another reason that she despised alcohol so much.  
  
Millie was working with the others in the town to help fix the well and it had been going considerably good lately. She was also dealing extremely well with Wolfwood's sudden and unexpected death, which Meryl admired most about her friend. She didn't know if she could ever be as strong as Millie but just having a friend with such strength seemed to help.   
  
After two weeks the effect of working so hard and missing the man she desperately loved had begun to take effect on the short insurance girl and her temper had grown even shorter. Millie was very understanding towards her and that was another trait that Meryl admired about her, the way she could see into people's emotions and understand them that way. It was another thing that Meryl lacked and wished that she had.  
  
Meryl was on her way back to the house for lunch after a hard morning of work and met Millie on the way. They had finally found the water vein and now a great plume of sparkling water was streaming up into the air. Each droplet was like a precious diamond that caught the blaze of the suns and glittered with an inner fire.   
  
As they sat together watching the children play in the water and the workers looking just as happy Meryl had spotted a figure walking towards the town. At first she thought her eyes deceived her, 'Vash had never come back before so why would he want to now?' She questioned. It was only Millie's excited yell that had snapped her from her trance and made her realize that it was indeed him. He had finally returned to her...well not to her...to them. But that was good enough for her as long as it meant he was safe and sound.   
  
In her excitement Meryl dashed forwards still not sure on how to greet him, should she just smile and tell him she was glad to see him again or should she do something more courageous? 'Maybe today I could give him a hug, I mean he wouldn't mind and maybe this time it will give me the courage to tell him what has been on my mind for so long.' With this lingering hope Meryl hopped down from the wall that she had been seated on and approached him with quickening steps.  
  
As soon as she was close enough to see that he was not alone the small hope she had held inside was dashed and she froze, her hair was the only thing that moved in the slight breeze and her eyes never left the figure slung over his shoulder. Feeling a sudden pang of fear deep inside her she stopped knowing that the man Vash had with him could only be one person. Of course she had never expected him to actually kill his own brother, but to bring him back here! What if he woke up and decided that he was going to kill everyone? This town had already proved their dislike of Vash, if they ever found out that he had brought back an even more dangerous man she didn't want to think of what they might do.   
  
Vash must have noticed her fearful and slightly angry expression as his step faltered and he walked slower as if trying to think up some sort of excuse. He was so tired after wandering through the desert carrying his brother who was extremely heavy, as well as having painful wounds that he still hadn't tended to. He had just wanted to get back to the girls as soon as possible; he hated being alone in the harsh conditions of the desert. He smiled slightly at that thought, at one time he would have been grateful to get rid of the insurance girls and be alone. Now though...he had grown used to them and enjoyed their company, he had never had proper friends before. But the way that the short insurance girl was staring at him made him just a little nervous.   
  
Millie had come to stand beside Meryl her face slightly friendlier although he could see the look of nervousness in her usually smiling eyes. He paused in front of them and gave them his most comforting smile, which failed miserably. The two girls stood silently, their eyes pinned on the man slung over Vash's shoulder. It was Millie who finally broke the silence.  
  
"Welcome back Mr. Vash!" She grinned and leapt forward to pull him into a crushing embrace seemingly forgetting about the man he was carrying.   
  
"It's...nice to see...you too but...I...can't breath!" Vash managed to splutter and Millie released him instantly. He swayed on his feet and blinked to try and clear his vision knowing that he had to sit down before he collapsed.  
  
"Would you like me to carry him inside?" Millie asked knowing all too well that Vash was extremely tired and maybe even injured.   
  
Nodding slowly Vash let Knives down from his shoulder and Millie took him and laid him on the ground. She was a strong girl everybody knew, for one thing she had been able to carry Wolfwood's punisher when most other people - including men - would probably not be able to shift it even a little. She glanced back up at Meryl and Vash who stood, regarding each other silently and decided she would give them some time alone. Carefully she lifted Knives up and walked slowly so that only the heels of his feet scraped the ground. She glanced back once to check on the two who still had not moved and sighed miserably. 'She won't tell him' Millie realized sadly and turned her attention at getting Knives back to the house.   
  
Meryl kept her gaze fixed on the man standing in front of her and knew all too well that he probably wasn't in the mood for a lecture right now. Even still, she couldn't just ignore the fact that he had brought home a dangerous man and that by doing so he proved just how reckless and stupid he really was.  
  
"That was your brother wasn't it?" She began, her tone calm and controlled.  
  
"Yeah." Vash nodded and she noticed the vibrancy had gone from his eyes since the last time they had seen each other.  
  
"Do you realize that by bringing him back here you put everyone in danger?" She got straight to the point and saw him wince in reply.  
  
"Hey, come on insurance girl I wont let him hurt anyone." He put on another weak, false smile.  
  
"How can you be so sure!?" She yelled and took a step towards him.  
  
"Well he's too injured right now to do anything." Vash held up his hands in surrender.   
  
"You better be right!" She continued. "If anything happens it'll all be your fault! Knives will not stay hurt forever, and when he heals he will certainly be angry that you beat him!" She continued her anger not because she really minded that he had brought Knives back but because she was frustrated. He was back but the danger hadn't gone and she still couldn't tell him her feelings.   
  
Vash nodded and smiled sadly, he had been so desperate to get back to them that he had completely forgotten how selfish it was to bring Knives back with him. Now they both hated him, and just seeing the angry expression on Meryl's face was enough to realize what a mistake it had been. He lowered his gaze in shame and felt his head spin slightly. Then slowly he felt consciousness drain from him and he knew this was a battle even he could not win. He staggered forwards and knocked into Meryl, who caught him just in time, but his weight proved too much and she fell to her knees.   
  
Instantly she realized that she had been too hard on him, he had probably just come back to rest, he probably hadn't even planned on staying. He was hurt and tired and she had done nothing but scream at him. Tears tingled in her eyes as she looked at the man lying in her embrace and she remained like that until Millie came back to look for them and helped carry him back to the house.   
  
It wasn't long before both Vash and Knives were settled in one of the rooms in the tiny house and Meryl flopped down on the couch, burying her face in her hands. She could not believe that after all that had happened she still couldn't be nice to him and be content to have him safe. There was just something about that man which brought the worst out in her, 'maybe it's because of my feelings towards him' she thought miserably. 'Or maybe it's because he is just an idiot' her head snapped up at hearing someone coming down the stairs and she turned round to see Millie appearing round the corner. Meryl forced a tired smile and moved up to make room for Millie to sit down next to her.  
  
"Meryl...I thought you were going to tell him."  
  
"I cant" Meryl whispered sadly and battled to keep the tears away from her eyes. The taller girl laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled sadly.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because...there are so many reasons why I cant." Meryl shook her head and stood up, trying to rid herself of the self-pity that was growing inside of her.   
  
"Name one." Millie challenged.  
  
"For one thing it isn't over, Knives is still alive which means that the danger is still here." Meryl's eyes hardened.  
  
"That doesn't mean you can't tell him."  
  
"Yes it does, I cant be another person to add to his burdens Millie, it just wouldn't be fair of me."  
  
"You worry about the strangest things, how could having someone love you be a burden?"  
  
"I'm not going to explain it Millie!" Meryl retorted and stormed upstairs.  
  
She threw the door of her room open and that shut it before crossing the room and flopping face down on the bed. Her head hurt so much from everything that had occurred and even though she knew that Vash was alive and well she couldn't be happy. She wanted to go to the room next door and tell him how sorry she was but felt that it would be pointless. How could she apologize for what she had done when she would probably go and do it again if given another chance?   
  
Rolling onto her side she fell asleep and didn't wake up until late afternoon when a loud sound came from the room next to hers. Cursing at having been woken up she ran her fingers through her hair to make it a little more presentable before leaving the safety of her room and venturing out into the hall. She stood still for a moment, thinking that maybe she had imagined the noise when another loud thump broke the tranquility of the house.   
  
With a sigh Meryl took the couple of steps over to the room where Vash and Knives were and tapped lightly on to the door with her knuckles. She waited about a second longer before thrusting the door open and let her eyes scan the room.  
  
She stifled a laugh at the scene in front of her and chose to sigh in exasperation instead. Vash was half hanging from the bed, his head cracked against the ground and tears running down his face. Obviously he had forgotten that he was no longer sleeping in the desert and had fallen from the bed in his sleep. He turned his head slowly to look at her and turned bright red as he tried to cover the scars on his chest that were now visible.  
  
"Idiot." Meryl breathed and watched him stand up and clutch the thin blanket against him. "You know I've already seen your scars Vash what makes you think I will react different this...time..." She trailed off as she saw that maybe this time was different. She noticed a rather unruly looking bandage on his shoulder and strode over to stand opposite him.  
  
"W-what are you doing?" She ignored his mild protest and snatched the blanket from his grip to get a closer look at the bandage that obviously covered a wound.  
  
"Who did this?"  
  
"Well uh Knives did." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  
  
"Ugh not that, I mean who bandaged your wound." Her tone was sharp and he winced.  
  
"Well I did." He flopped down on the bed and glanced up nervously at the insurance girl.  
  
"Why didn't you tell Millie or myself?"  
  
"I didn't want to trouble you with it, it doesn't hurt that much." Vash diverted his gaze to his brother and his eyes clouded over with grief and Meryl's heart beat cold. What she had said earlier had really affected him badly, now he would most likely leave and she really didn't want him too.  
  
"Well give me a minute and I'll go and get some more bandages and water so I can deal with your wounds." She said quietly and shuffled from the room as quickly as possible. She hadn't wanted him to see the tears of shame in her eyes.   
  
Half an hour later she had dealt with his wounds in uncomfortable silence and as she turned to leave the room she felt his hand on hers. She glanced down at it and tried to control a blush that crept up into her face.  
  
"I'm sorry Meryl." He whispered and her heart twisted with a jolt of pain, she had been waiting for him to call her by name for the longest time but now it only caused her heartache. She nodded and walked quickly out of the room and closed the door on the choked sobs. This was just like last time - her being too afraid to go and comfort him - afraid that if she did she might tell him her true feelings. She finally released her tears and returned to her own room, too afraid to go anywhere else incase she bumped into Millie.   
  
***End Flashback***   
  
Meryl paused and glanced away as she felt the tears return to her violet eyes, she could remember clearly how much she must have hurt him by those remarks. All she had wanted to do was embrace him but instead she had yelled at him and even worse he had been injured.  
  
The bartender stood silently, her eyes fixed on the girl whose head was now turned away to hide the tears that had begun to form in her violet orbs. "It seems to me that you are scared." She said quietly and picked up the rag again to clean the bar once more.  
  
"Yes." Meryl admitted with a nod of her head.   
  
"Why don't you apologize to him?"  
  
"Well it happened two days ago, we haven't spoken and I'm working all the time so I haven't had a chance to. Plus I don't think he wants to talk to me."   
  
"You'll never know for sure until you try." The bartender smiled again.  
  
"Well that's true enough." Meryl lifted the drink again and looked at it. "But what would I say?"  
  
"That you're sorry." The woman pointed out and laughed slightly. "Just drink it, you never know, it might actually help."   
  
Finally Meryl agreed, she brought the glass to her lips and drank it quickly before she could change her mind and felt the warmth of the alcohol take effect. Yes it didn't taste very nice and it still didn't change her mind that alcohol was a vile drink but still it seemed to help. The cold ache in her heart slowly dissolved to warmth and she quickly ordered another. At least for one evening she could forget all the pain that she felt and had caused Vash to feel.   
  
The bartender handed her another drink and went back to dealing with other customers to leave the girl to think. Meryl gratefully accepted the drink and sat savoring it for a while before draining the glass. It was not long before the insurance girl had had enough and refused any more offers to buy her drinks. Part of her mind was still telling her that she was ready to go home but her legs felt unsteady and she remained seated for a while longer.  
  
It wasn't long before the short girl became completely drunk, her mind was a mixture of strange emotions and the giddy feeling she felt made her feel slightly sick. Yet at the same time she felt free, free of the burdens of love and pain. Carefully supporting herself with one hand she stood up and turned to face the door. The ground felt like it was moving beneath her and as she took the first step she stumbled and landed against a table. Growling angrily she straightened and waited patiently for her head to stop spinning so madly.  
  
The bartender glanced over at her nervously and quickly signaled for a young man to help her home who instantly got up and went to stand beside Meryl.   
  
"Maybe I can help you there." He asked gently and reached out to hold onto her arm.  
  
"I'm fine!" She snapped and the man let her go and jumped back before giving a nervous glance back to the bartender. Meryl turned her glazed eyes up to the man who was looking slightly frightened and shoved him out of the way before staggering to the door.   
  
She cursed the drink, cursed the saloon, cursed the woman who had offered her the drink and most of all she cursed Vash who had been the one to lead her to all of this. 'No it wasn't him...' Meryl thought sadly, 'this happened because I'm scared...' She pressed one palm against the building to steady herself as a gust of cold wind raced through the town and shivered. The drink had not given her freedom at all or if it had it had not lasted nearly long enough.   
  
She wrapped her arms around herself in attempt to keep warm from the biting cold and leaned against the building, Her head felt light and as if it did not belong to her but she knew it did, no other mind could be as messed up as hers was right now - well maybe apart from Knives.   
  
Her breath was hot and ragged in her lungs and rasped through her lips before becoming a mist in the night air. The shadows grew thicker as the dark grew in intensity and as she turned the corner and looked up at the dark house she felt her heart freeze over. She had been hoping to see a comforting light, a sign that someone had waited up for her to come home. At the same time she was glad, she didn't want anyone to see her in this state, especially Vash who would probably tease her for the rest of her life.   
  
Sighing miserably she staggered up to the house and opened the door before stepping into the dark living room. Her head span as she took in the depth of the shadow and shivered sadly at how quickly the warmth of the alcohol had left her. A single, crystal tear slivered down her porcelain cheek and she leaned heavily against the table, her shoulders quivering from holding back the sobs.   
  
* * * * * *  
  
Vash stood up and stretched lightly, being careful not to injure his shoulder and tore his eyes away from his unconscious brother to glance out of the window and across the dark streets. He hadn't slept a wink since he had returned to the town not because he didn't want to but because his mind just wouldn't relax. He was constantly thinking about the injuries he had caused his brother and whether he would survive them. He was also concerned about the short girl who hadn't been her usual self since he had returned.  
  
He glanced back at his brother who still hadn't moved at all and sat on the edge of the bed to keep an eye on him. Meryl's words about Knives wanting revenge when he woke up still haunted him. What if she was right and when Knives woke up he continued to hurt people? He buried his face in his hands and drew in a long breath when he heard a sound down in the kitchen.  
  
'She's back!' he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders knowing that Meryl was safe and decided to go down and ask her where she had been. Standing up again he took one last glance at his brother before slipping out of the door and into the hall.   
  
Padding slowly down the short flight of stairs he saw movement in the dark and paused in the doorway. Surely the girl he was looking at couldn't be Meryl! Not the strong dependable woman who was always in control! The woman in front of him was leaning against the table as if she was too weak to stand and by the way she was shaking it looked like she was crying. Fear welled up inside him to join with his clenched heart and the thickening in his throat made it painful for him to speak.   
  
"H-hey insurance girl." He reached out a hand to her but recoiled as her head snapped up and her fiery eyes settled on him. He could tell even in the strong darkness that she was angry at being discovered in such a vulnerable state.   
  
She dragged a hand across her face to wipe away any loose tears and stared angrily at him. "What do you want?" She snapped and he blinked in surprise.   
  
"Meryl...are you...drunk?" He was now even more concerned about her, the Meryl Stryfe he knew would never even touch alcohol. Closing the distance between them he lifted her face up so he could look into her eyes and felt tears tingle in his own aqua orbs.  
  
"Get offa me!" She pushed his hands away roughly and tried to get past him.  
  
"Maybe I should help you up the stairs?" He offered gently but she ignored him and stumbled up the few stairs to her room, knowing that he was following her closely. He tried to follow her further but was knocked back as she slammed the door closed and left him standing alone in the dark.   
  
Feeling confused and miserable Vash leaned against her door, pressing his forehead against the cold surface and closing his eyes. His life felt like a complete mess and he had no idea what he was going to do about it. He knew deep inside that he was causing Meryl pain and maybe even Millie as well. Probably having him around reminded her about Wolfwood, and Meryl was probably still mad at him for bringing Knives back with him.   
  
Laying his spread palm against the smooth door he listened to the sound of his breathing in the deafening silence until he heard another sound behind him.  
  
"Mr. Vash?" He smiled slightly and turned his head to glance at Millie who had obviously woken up after Meryl had slammed the door shut.   
  
"Oh hello." He said a little too brightly to be convincing.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"No everything's fine, you can go back to sleep now." He grinned nervously.  
  
"Has Meryl upset you again?"  
  
"No nothing like that." He edged sideways and headed back to his room to check on Knives.  
  
"Okay." Millie whispered as she watched him disappear into his room before glancing at Meryl's door. 'Why does she keep up this pretence?' Millie wondered sadly, 'it's just causing them both so much pain, things would be much easier if they could comfort each other.' She shook her head in dismay at how stubborn both of them were being before returning to her small room across the hall.  
  
The house was silent once more, wrapped in a coldness that seeped from their saddened hearts. Torn and broken and isolated they all wished for a brighter day to follow...  
  
Angel: Well there it is, my first chapter done ^.^  
  
Knives: Why do you keep following me?  
  
Angel: I figured that if I stayed near you we would bump into your brother sometime.  
  
Knives: Who cares about that idiot?  
  
Angel: Me!  
  
Knives: ...  
  
Angel: Anyway please leave a review for me! *puppy eyes*  
  
Knives: You can't make them review.  
  
Angel: No...but you can, you have that mind control thingy. *Wolfish grin*  
  
Knives: I don't think so woman. If you insist on following me around you will do as I say.  
  
Angel: *salutes* yes sir!  
  
Knives: *rolls eyes* Give it a rest!  
  
Angel: *.* okay!!  
  
Knives: Aaahh save me from this freak! 


	2. She felt like a stranger to herself

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun  
  
Thanks to reviewers:  
  
Blu & TK - I'm glad you liked it, I wasn't sure if anyone would thanks for your review^-^.   
  
Knives: ...I don't like you.  
  
Angel: Hey no abusing the reviewers *kicks him in the shin*  
  
Jaina - Thank you so much for your review it meant a lot to me ^-^ I'm really glad you enjoyed it.  
  
Neptune Butterfly - Yeah I was gonna go with the whole Meryl gets attacked on the way home thing but I thought it was too predictable and decided to let her get home safely. Thanks for your review and I'm glad you are enjoying it. Oh and I'm glad little kuroneko-sama is all calm again.  
  
Valk - Thanks for your comment, it means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Snapdragon76 - Yup I know exactly what you mean and I'm glad you liked my first chapter I worked quite hard on it. Thanks for your review!!  
  
Yma - Oh thanks for your comment, I do try my best with the characters and keeping them with their personalities so it meant a lot that someone noticed and pointed out that I WAS actually succeeding. I don't really know what direction this is heading in either, its kinda gonna be a spontaneous fic where I'm just gonna let my fingers type and see what happens ^-^'.  
  
Silverado6000 - I'm glad you like my new fic, and don't worry I have no intention of giving up my other fic and it will be my main priority. Thanks for your review!!  
  
Magnet-Rose - Wow thanks for your review it was really nice and made me laugh, I'm glad you liked   
  
it.   
  
Knives: I didn't find the review very good.  
  
Angel: Oh shut up, you would say that.  
  
Knives: ...  
  
Saranomy - Eeek *hides from scary reviewer* I'm sorry here is your update.  
  
Knives: Stop hiding behind me, pathetic human.  
  
Angel: You're very repetitive aren't you Knives.  
  
Knives: Well actually I liked this review; I liked the attitude of it.  
  
Angel: You would. ¬.¬  
  
Arteme - Thanks for your sweet review and here is your update.  
  
Mabel4gs - Hee hee, don't worry bout it, I feel the same way bout cute little Vashie ...okay maybe he aint so little. But yeah you understand. Thanks for your review!!  
  
Puchiko - I'm glad you liked the way I wrote my last chapter, I have tried to keep this chapter at the same quality. Thanks for your review.  
  
Darkraven - eeee! I have a fan *blushes* don't worry I'll keep Knives under control *pats Knives on the head* Thanks for your review.  
  
Dustdragon - Yeah I hope I can figure out the plot, ^-^' but I'm glad you liked it and here is your update, thanks for your review.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
*Somewhere in the middle of the desert...*  
  
Angel: Wow Knives did you see how many people reviewed! O.O  
  
Knives: I get the feeling some of them don't like me.  
  
Angel: I wonder where you got that idea...¬.¬  
  
Knives: ...   
  
Angel: Anyway thank you all sooooo much!!  
  
Knives: So am I going to wake up this chapter?  
  
Angel: No  
  
Knives: *growls and mutters words that cannot be repeated*  
  
Angel: So are you going to help me find Vash now?  
  
Knives: Will you leave me alone if I do?  
  
Angel: Definitely!!   
  
Knives: Argh, fine...  
  
Angel: Yay *dances around*  
  
Knives: *has to resist the urge to strangle her*  
  
Angel: Enjoy my second chapter everyone ^-^  
  
Part 2: she felt like a stranger to herself  
  
Meryl flopped down on her bed, which was pressed up against the far wall away from the door; from here she could look out of the window and up into the starry sky. Tonight the usual diamonds of the heavens did not seem as bright as they normally did, maybe it was the haze of tears, which had distorted them, or perhaps it was her frame of mind. In any case she felt just as bad as she had before entering the saloon in the first place.  
  
Rolling onto her stomach she leaned over and reached under the bed, groping blindly for what she knew lay hidden under there. For a moment she thought that perhaps someone had moved it but then her fingertips brushed against something cool and smooth. Letting out a sigh of relief she grasped the bottle and lifted it up into the moonlight. The liquid inside the bottle looked like captured moonbeams under the bask of the moons above and she sat up, letting her feet rest on the ground again.   
  
She remembered the day she had taken this bottle of alcohol in the first place, it had happened when Vash was away fighting his brother. She had come home after a hard days work to see Millie completely drunk in the living room. The sight had worried her slightly, and even though Millie did drink a lot she obviously missed Wolfwood more than what she was letting on. She used the alcohol to escape the tormenting thoughts about the man she loved.  
  
"Much like I'm doing now." She whispered and laughed quietly to the darkness. She had no idea why she was acting so strange; maybe it was because she had finally come to terms with the fact that she could never tell him. Millie had asked her why she couldn't and it was true she had many reasons.  
  
Damaged pride was one thing she did not want to have, he might laugh at her or just blink and say nothing. He might even pity her and feel that he had to stay so he didn't hurt her and she didn't want to do that. There were also other reasons for not telling him, she didn't want to be another burden on him. Even if she told him and he felt the same way, he had his brother to tend to and it would be unfair of her to distract him from that. She also didn't want to make things awkward in the household if he turned her down. Everyone would be feeling awkward and Vash might feel the need to leave so as to ease tension in the house. That was the last thing Meryl wanted and so she decided that it would be best to have him as a friend and nothing more.  
  
She opened the bottle and held it higher up so that she could see the drink better in the dim light. The faint smell of alcohol teased her and she brought the rim of the bottle to her lips and breathed in the tempting scent. A part of her mind was now telling her to stop it and throw the bottle away but the other part of her mind, which held the grief, simply wanted release. 'Maybe a little more would help it go away' she thought to herself and raised the bottle to take a long drink.  
  
A few droplets of the drink escaped and trickled down her chin, mingling with newly shed tears that had sprung from her violet eyes. Her arms trembled and she released her grip on the bottle which was still half full, and reveled in the crash it made as it hit the ground. Then slowly she pulled her knees up against her and began to cry...she felt so confused and out of control...she felt like a stranger to herself.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Vash sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed, sure it wasn't an exceptionally comfortable one but it was enough, and it was definitely better than sleeping out in the desert. Giving all of that, he should have been asleep by now, but he couldn't rest knowing that something was wrong with the short girl in the next room.   
  
He looked across at his brother who was still in his comatose state and sighed miserably, he had been a fool to think that everything could return to normal. He actually missed the days of wandering around from town to town getting into trouble and then getting beaten up by that fiery little woman. Anyone else would have called that the down point of their life but to Vash it had been the best. He had enjoyed winding Meryl up and watching them run after him when he tried to escape, they had also made difficult times easier to abide.   
  
He wished more than anything that Meryl would return to her normal self. He hated seeing her in such a state and not being able to help. Would she even want him to help her? He doubted it.  
  
A loud crash alerted him and jumping to his feet he dashed from the room as fast as he could. As he reached her door he leaned against it and listened for any other sound before lowering his hand to the door handle. It was only when the sound of sobbing echoed from within the room that he decided to enter.   
  
Carefully he opened the door on silent hinges and peered into the dark room that lay behind it. At first he could see nothing except a cool, pastel light that filtered through the curtains and lay scattered across the ground in lazy patterns. Dark shadows lingered in the corners of the room and lay draped over the bed as if to keep him from seeing past the barriers but already his eyes were growing accustomed to the darkness.   
  
Gingerly he stepped inside the room and let the door shut with a soft click behind him before continuing. The stench of alcohol greeted him instantaneously and his eyes traced over the shards of glass that shimmered under the dainty touch of moonlight.   
  
Not far from the broken bottle sat Meryl, her dejected figure curled up against the bed, her face buried against her knees, which were pulled up against her chest. Vash could not believe that this was the same woman he had known for so long and he had to fight against the urge to back away and leave before she noticed him.   
  
"Meryl..." His voice sounded harsh in the thick silence of the room and he knelt down beside her. Her sobs suddenly fell quiet as if she was ashamed of being caught in such a state and she tried to edge away from him. He managed to stop her by wrapping an arm firmly around her shoulders and holding her pinned against his side. She tensed and a sob choked in her throat.  
  
  
  
"Get off!" She yelled from her drunken state and brought her fist round to crack him in the jaw.   
  
"Ouch!" He let her go to touch his jaw tenderly and was rewarded with another jolt of pain from the pressure, he almost completely forgot about Meryl until she tried to swing at him again.  
  
"Hey, don't hit me." He whined as he caught her small fist in his hand and held it firmly. "Are you okay?" he added gently and she shook her head violently and tried to free her hand.  
  
"Just leave me alone already." Her order ended in a whimper and she collapsed against him, her eyes falling gently closed and the sound of his beating heart somewhat therapeutic. His hand absently rose to stroke through the soft black hair, which framed her face, and for the first time they seemed to be quite content being in each other's company.   
  
After another quiet moment of listening to each other's breathing in the warm dark, which now seemed to bring comfort instead of fear, Vash broke the silence.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked again, his voice was barely a whisper. She nodded lightly and wiped furiously at her eyes to try and rid them of the tears that had invaded.  
  
She was only faintly aware of being lifted up and by the time she was lying back on her bed she was fast asleep, the torment gone from her now beautiful features. Vash leaned over her as he pulled the covers up to pool around her shoulders and brushed his fingertips gently against her cheek. She mumbled something he couldn't quite hear and he took his hand away.  
  
He wondered what could have happened to her to make her change so drastically; maybe it was from being around him so long. Had he actually driven her mad? He shook the thought from his mind and lingered beside her bed a moment longer. She seemed content now, a slight breeze had drifted into the room and was rustling her hair softly and the moonlight's delicate fingers caressed her cheek. He backed over to the door and glanced at her again before opening it and disappearing into the hall.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
When the twin suns finally decided to emerge they brought with them an intense heat, which blistered the desert and everything in it. The sky was an unusual shade of red as if it was on fire and the whirling of heat waves distorted vision for miles around. This huge change in temperature did not help anyone in the small town where Meryl, Vash and Millie were staying and neither did it help soothe the hangover, which Meryl was suffering from.   
  
She leaned heavily against the sink and rested her forehead against the cool mirror opposite to try and stop the rhythmic pounding in her skull. She still could not believe how much she had drunk that night and had spent the early hours of the morning throwing up and clearing up smashed glass. The reek of alcohol did nothing to soothe her pain and so she had retreated to the bathroom, which was cool and hidden from the suns' angry clutches. From here she could sit and find comfort in the silence, which seemed to lull the pain in her head to a light throb.  
  
She moved her head away from its position on the mirror and looked at her reflection in the smooth, polished glass. Her hair was still wet from her shower and clung to her face in some places, small water droplets had rested on her cheeks just beneath her eyes and reminded her of the tears she had shed last night. Her skin had lost its normal healthy glow and looked pale and her eyes were like dark hollows of what they used to be. She realized now what all the lack of sleep and proper food was doing to her, these feelings towards that annoying gunman were making her sick.   
  
"I can't believe I would let myself fall so low." She murmured to her reflection and then scowled, she knew things had to change. She could not just sit around all day feeling sorry for herself, there was work to be done and she would not fall behind. Straightening her back she glared into the mirror a final time, checked to make sure her uniform was perfect and stepped out into the hall.   
  
The house was still considerably quiet except for the light snoring from Millie's tiny room and so she decided to make a start on breakfast. Ignoring the pain in her head she padded down the short flight of steps and into the small but adequate kitchen. There were a few small cupboards, a stove and a sink but that was all she needed and looking through the cupboards she found the pancake mix and a frying pan.  
  
Keeping a firm grasp on the handle she watched the pancakes carefully so as not to spoil them and smiled. Things already seemed to be going well and the day had hardly even started. She hummed very quietly over the sound of the cooking food and was therefore very surprised to turn round and find Vash standing on the other side of the room. He seemed extremely shocked at seeing her up so early and seemed even more surprised to see her looking so happy.  
  
For a moment they stood staring at each other before continuing about their business, Meryl turned back to the stove and smiled slightly. 'Guess he thought I would be in bed all day after all that drinking.' She halted then and her eyes widened in fear, she only remembered snippets of what had happened last night but she did remember him being there. She groaned and rubbed her head as the headache returned and hoped desperately that she hadn't done anything embarrassing.   
  
She scooped the pancakes onto a plate and went over to sit at the tiny table where Vash was sitting silently, he had his head lowered so she couldn't see his face and she had the feeling he was hiding something.   
  
"Vash..." She put the pancakes down in front of him and sat down opposite him.   
  
"For me?" He seemed genuinely surprised that she was offering them to him.  
  
"No for that annoying black cat that is hanging around outside." She rolled her eyes and leaned on the table, cradling her cheek in her palm.   
  
She watched him attack the food vigorously and couldn't contain a smile at how childish he looked; yet at the same time she found it very sweet. It was when she was looking at him that she spotted a bruise on his cheek, it had started to deepen in shade and her heart jolted in fear. She remembered getting angry with him, remembered hitting out, she hadn't realized that she had actually struck him and the poor guy had only come to check on her.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered and Vash looked up from his food, his face held a deep look of confusion.  
  
"For what?" He asked.  
  
"For hitting you yesterday."   
  
"Wow, you actually remember that?" His eyes widened in surprise and she nodded. "Well don't worry I'm used to it." He shrugged and finished the last pancake in one bite. "Any more?" He asked innocently and then gave her the puppy eyed look, which no girl on the planet could possibly resist. Meryl laughed and stood up.  
  
"Sure, but I have to go to work soon." She reminded him as she went back into the small kitchen once again.   
  
* * * * * *  
  
Vash watched Meryl leave and frowned, he was sure he wouldn't be the only one confused by the way she had been reacting, one minute she was so upset she had turned to drink and the next she was acting like her normal in control self. 'Maybe it took her to reach rock bottom before she realized that she had to cheer up,' he thought helplessly.   
  
He was deep in thought when Millie finally came down the stairs; she spotted him standing in the middle of the room looking completely lost. She wondered what he was looking at and tried to follow his line of vision, which ended at the door.   
  
"Mr. Vash?" She questioned and walked up beside him.  
  
"Oh, hello Millie." He smiled at her but she could see the worry that had built up in his aqua eyes.   
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"Have you noticed anything strange about Meryl lately?" He asked and Millie shook her head. She had noticed, and she had a sneaking suspicion Meryl's behavior was because of her feelings towards the gunman and Millie didn't believe it was her place to say.  
  
"She is probably just working too hard." Millie offered and Vash nodded silently, his face still etched with worry.  
  
Vash didn't even know why he was worrying so much about her, but whenever he thought about her being upset or hurt he would get a deep pain in his chest like an icy dagger. He sat back down and contemplated on what to do, if Millie was right and it was because of work then he couldn't really do much to help. Maybe if he just stayed out of her way so as not to annoy her, or make sure to keep the place tidy so she didn't have to clean up when she got home. But then there was his brother to consider, he wanted to be there when Knives woke up so that he could keep him calm but that wasn't going to happen if he was out of the room a lot. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, he had to figure out some way to help her.  
  
He angled his head so he could watch Millie in the kitchen and smiled at seeing her with a huge pot of pudding in her hand. 'At least some things never change' he thought happily. Stretching lazily he stood up and walked over to the stairs.  
  
"I'm going up to watch over Knives." He called over to Millie, who simply nodded, her mouth too full for her to speak.   
  
  
  
Vash stood in the doorway to his room and peered in at his unconscious brother who was lying motionless on the bed. Sighing he let himself fall onto his own bed and looked up at the ceiling, and followed the cracks that ran along it. The heat from the suns reached inside the room and wrapped him in a suffocating embrace and he found his sunglasses and put them on.   
  
"I'm waiting Knives." He spoke to his unconscious brother. "I'm waiting for you to wake up, I know you're just dragging this out, waiting until you think of a plan to escape me." His voice was emotionless and strangely calm.  
  
  
  
He sat up and glared at his brother, wishing and hoping that when he finally did wake up that he would accept his new lifestyle. In his heart he knew it was wishful thinking, Knives would never accept humans just as humans would never accept plants.  
  
He flopped down onto his back once more and let his eyes fall closed, the orange lenses of his glasses hiding the tears that beaded in the corners of them.   
  
* * * * * *  
  
Meryl wrote down the one hundredth order of the morning on her rapidly thinning notepad and headed back to the kitchen, they had been so busy she had not even had time to stop for a break. The good thing was that she was being paid over time and whilst she was working she wasn't thinking about Vash at all.  
  
She called out the order and left the scrap of paper on the side. A girl who was sitting on a chair by the kitchen waved her over and Meryl smiled at seeing whom it was. 'She must have sneaked in when I wasn't looking.'  
  
"Hello Miss Meryl." She waved and held up the menu.   
  
"Hi Kirsty, what'll it be today?" Meryl asked lightly and held her pen ready so she could write down the order.   
  
"I'll have ice-cream please." The young girl said with such enthusiasm Meryl couldn't help but be reminded of Millie and her pudding.   
  
"Any particular flavor?" She added.  
  
"Chocolate!" Meryl laughed and nodded before heading back over to hand in the order. Today had turned out exceptionally well considering how upset and down she had been yesterday. 'This must be how Millie gets through the pain' Meryl mused thoughtfully and was filled with a new admiration for her friend.   
  
Working all the way through her lunch break Meryl was pleased when the morning's rush slowly trailed off and managed to sit down for the first time in hours. The heat had now reached its greatest intensity and the kitchen made the heat even worse so she sat by the door and enjoyed the slight cool breeze on her skin.   
  
When it was time to get back to work she closed the door so as not to be tempted to go back outside and put her apron back on over her uniform. Yawning sleepily she picked up her note pad and prepared herself for the afternoon shift.  
  
She called out to the kitchen staff to start with the cooking again and the sound of kitchen utensils rang out in the air. It was a comforting sound, which reminded Meryl of being back home with her mother and grandmother; she had always loved being in the kitchen. When she was surrounded by the sounds and smells of preparing food a great warmth enveloped her. She could not rid herself of the smile that had crept up onto her face.  
  
The bell on the door jingled as someone entered and she whirled around to greet him or her. She opened her violet eyes to see whom she would be serving and the smile faltered for the first time. She found herself looking down the barrel of a gun. She opened her mouth to scream at seeing the three men with their guns trained on her, another stood behind them, his face concealed beneath a wide rimmed hat.  
  
"Shut up and get over there!" One man yelled at her and indicated with his rifle, not wanting to risk getting hurt she dashed over to the corner and sat down on the floor. She had forgotten what had made her old uniform so handy; her cloak had had enough room to hide her derringers whilst this waitress uniform had only a single pouch in the apron.   
  
Frowning and completely at a loss for what to do she sat silently and watched the three men stash money from the till into a sack. She wondered why on earth they would be here robbing this tiny restaurant when suddenly the person with the wide hat approached her.  
  
  
  
"You know him don't you?" At first she didn't realize the question had been directed at her until she caught sight of the blazing eyes beneath the hat.  
  
"Huh?" Meryl glanced at the person curiously.  
  
"Vash the Stampede, I have accurate records of someone seeing you with him." Meryl's heart leapt into her throat at hearing Vash's name. They hadn't had any problems with bounty hunters for a long while now and having four people turn up with obvious intentions of getting the bounty made her realize that it was starting all over again.  
  
'He never gets a break' she sighed helplessly, completely forgetting that she had been asked a question.  
  
"Don't deny it because I already know that you are acquainted with our typhoon." The person who obviously led this little band of thieves grinned and tipped the hat away from his face.  
  
"You're a woman!" Meryl blurted out in shock, she had been so sure it was a man hiding beneath that cloak and hat.   
  
"Surprised? Well you should be, now just stay still." She stood up and gestured for her henchman to approach, Meryl noticed one of them held a rope in his thick hands and she realized that she was going to be used as bait.  
  
She smiled as she realized it would never work, Vash wasn't going to leave the house and risk not being there when his brother woke up so they would be waiting a while. Another terrible thought hit her, if he didn't show up she would probably be blamed, she did not even want to guess what they might do to her if their plans failed.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Angel: Okay so explain it to me again.  
  
Knives: It's not that hard to understand!!  
  
Angel: Inferior, remember? ¬_¬  
  
Knives: Well everyone knows that Vash loves food.  
  
Angel: Donuts.  
  
Knives: Huh?  
  
Angel: He loves donuts.   
  
Knives: Stop interrupting me!  
  
Angel: Sorry. *Rolls eyes*  
  
Knives: Well all we have to do is get these donut things you were talking about and use them as bait to get him. Quite simple really.  
  
Angel: But-  
  
Knives: -Shut up and listen!!!!!   
  
Angel: Wow...scaaaary.   
  
Knives: *Sighs* we need to find a cage as well.  
  
Angel: A cage? *Evil grin* finally you say something worth listening to.  
  
Knives: Just shut up you annoying woman.  
  
Angel: Well what are we standing around for? Let's go!! *Drags Knives away* 


	3. The world went dark

Disclaimer: No I don't own Trigun, I don't own anything.  
  
Thanks to reviewers:  
  
Arteme: Thanks for your review; I'm glad you liked my last chapter. Yeah Vash doesn't have much experience with romance does he...poor guy. I'll just have to make sure I change that.  
  
Happyjack: I'm hoping this fic will be just as good as well, I'm just glad people are reading it and liking it. Yeah I love getting them into trouble, I don't know why but Millie never seems to...maybe I can change that. Thanks for your review.   
  
Darkraven: two reviews from you...dunno if you realized or not but thanks anyways.  
  
Puchiko2: Heh heh sorry about the cliff hanger, sorry this chapter took so long to get out, this chapter was harder to write than I though it would. Thanks for your review.   
  
Neptune Butterfly: I might take Kuroneko up on his offer! Yes the woman is an original character linked to one that was in the anime series. You'll have to wait and see ^_^ Thanks for your review.  
  
Luna-Kitsune-Blu: that's okay. As always your review made me laugh. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this next chapter.  
  
Dustdragon: sorry bout leaving the cliffhanger, I just had to do that. You might be annoyed with the way I ended this one too. Any way before you kill me.... thanks for your review!  
  
Rainy-days13: ha, glad you like the fic, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too, it took me longer to write than I had first anticipated. Thanks for your review.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Angel: I got the donuts ^-^   
  
Knives: About time, what the hell took you so long?  
  
Angel: I found a cute kitty on the way...see. *holds up Kuroneko*  
  
Knives: Whatever, just hand them over.  
  
Angel: Yes sir!  
  
Knives: *Snatches the donuts and puts them in the cage*  
  
Angel: How long do you think we will have to wait?  
  
Knives: Not long.  
  
*Three hours later*  
  
Angel: *Sleeping*  
  
Knives: *Pokes* Hey wake up!  
  
Angel: Did it work?  
  
Knives: No  
  
Angel: Aww damn.   
  
SNAP!  
  
Knives: We got him!  
  
Angel: Yay!! ^-^  
  
Knives: Hang on a minute that isn't Vash...  
  
Angel: *gasp* It can't be!!  
  
Knives: Legato get out of that cage right now!!!  
  
Legato *sniffling* I don't want to...  
  
Angel: Uhh enjoy the next chapter.  
  
Part 3: The World Went Dark...  
  
Meryl sighed as the henchman bound her wrists in the rough rope and gritted her teeth in frustration, she looked around for a means of escape but it seemed virtually impossible. Some more of the woman's followers had entered the room and blocked every possible escape route. The other staff were being led into the room behind her and she glanced over her shoulder at them. Her violet eyes filled with grief at seeing them all, trembling and desperately trying to hold back tears. 'My friends, this is all my fault' she looked away from them in guilt.   
  
Curling up against the counter she let her eyes fall onto the ground and shivered, a sudden coldness had enveloped her that chilled her to the bone, 'is this fear I am feeling, or is it the cold feeling of guilt?' she quickly decided it was a mixture of both.   
  
"Now tell me miss...do you think that Vash the Stampede cares enough about you to come down here?" The smooth voice of the woman reached her. Meryl's head snapped up; an angry retort bubbling in her throat, but knowing better she simply remained silent and stared back into the woman's hazel eyes.   
  
"Well, you don't look very hopeful...could it be that my records were mistaken?" Her strange hazel eyes clouded in thought.  
  
"What records?" Meryl snapped, feeling even more annoyed at these intruders.  
  
"Hmm, you mean you don't know?" A smirk appeared on her face, "My records simply state that Vash was seen with his arms around you..." Her smirk grew even wider at the response to her comment.  
  
The short insurance girl was flushing violently, partly with embarrassment, partly with anger and partly with joy at remembering that certain event in her life. That small embrace had been the closest she had ever been to the elusive gunman, in fact it was the closest she had ever been to any man. A full time job and a strict father had made certain of that.  
  
Meryl dipped her head and sighed miserably, "You have it all wrong, it's not like that at all." Meryl's voice was merely a whisper, finding it hard to admit that it was nothing more than a friendly hug.  
  
"What do you mean, Vash the Stampede would hug an enemy? You are obviously an ally and that is good enough to serve our purpose."   
  
Meryl closed her eyes, part of her wishing that Vash would come to her rescue, part of her mad that she would have to rely on him, and another part of her hoping he would stay away and keep safe. She leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes, trying desperately to squash the fear that was fluttering in her stomach.  
  
"As soon as Vash the Stampede arrives we can put our plan into action, our day of revenge is here so don't mess up!" The strange woman yelled. "Do you all remember the plan?"  
  
"Yes." came the few replies of her henchmen.  
  
"We get him in here by using that woman to make him do what we want." She turned hazel eyes to Meryl who was sitting quietly in the corner. "Remember not to injure him, we need him alive. There will be no quick, painless death for him."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Vash stood up from his chair and stretched lazily, he had been sitting in the small room all day and still his brother hadn't moved at all. He was beginning to doubt that Knives would ever wake up, and that thought sent him deeper into the pit of guilt he was already wallowing in. He couldn't help but think that he had taken the wrong course by shooting his brother, perhaps there had been another way to save him, but then he remembered how eager Knives had been to hurt him. There was no way he could have talked himself out of that situation.  
  
He turned his line of vision towards the window where the evening's shadows were starting to spread across the dust. The sky was a wash of oranges and reds as the two golden discs floated just above the skyline, the whole town seemed bathed in a golden light and Vash soaked up the beauty of such an innocent occurrence. For a long time he stood admiring the splendor of what lay before him, the reds deepening as the suns dipped into sleep enhancing the passions in the sky.  
  
Leaning against the windowsill Vash glanced sideways into the town, he hadn't really walked about in it much considering all the townspeople seemed to hate him. The closest he had ever been to the main part of the town was when he had leaned out of the window like he was doing now. Sometimes he would watch Meryl go to work, her head bowed as she shuffled through the street as if wanting the ground to open up and swallow her. He had been extremely confused by her actions this morning but he knew she was only putting up a disguise so he and Millie wouldn't worry about her. It surprised him how much she was like himself; she hid her emotions and built barriers up around herself just like he did. Maybe it was because of this that he noticed how upset she was inside, her eyes lacked the usual shine and even though she had never laughed a lot that reaction seemed to have disappeared from her totally.   
  
The sound of panicked screams and yells snapped him from his thoughts and he leaned further from the window to glance into the town center. His heart clenched painfully as he caught sight of people dashing around the streets and crowding around one certain building...the restaurant where Meryl worked! For a moment time seemed to freeze and his blood ran cold as thoughts raced through his mind. He knew he had to go but he hated to leave Knives alone. Shaking his head angrily he didn't even stop to grab his coat and was out of the door before anyone could notice.  
  
He desperately hoped he was reading too much into the situation but as he grew closer to the restaurant he caught snippets of conversations, which made him fear the worst. Drawing closer to the circle of onlookers he desperately tried to get someone's attention so he could ask what exactly was going on.   
  
"Hey mister could you tell me what's happening?" He asked as politely as he could. The man he had tapped on the shoulder obviously recognized him as Vash the Stampede, his expression turning to one of disgust and anger.   
  
Stepping back nervously Vash held his hands up in typical surrender position and gave a nervous grin, which seemed only to make the man angrier.  
  
"This is all your fault! The only reason those bounty hunters are here causing trouble is because of you!" He pointed an accusing finger at his face.   
  
"Bounty hunters?" Vash instantly lost the grin he had somehow plastered onto his face and peered over the heads the crowd of nervous people. It was one of those times he was grateful for his superior height.   
  
The door to the restaurant swung open and a cloaked figure appeared, a wide brimmed hat covering his or her face. Trying to push his way through the crowd Vash noticed that the person was hiding something behind their back.   
  
"If you don't find Vash the Stampede and bring him here then the hostages will all be killed!" The feminine voice yelled and silenced the onlookers. Everyone stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the bounty hunter in the doorway. Vash flinched as the woman raised her head, strange eyes traveling over the motionless crowd. "Don't you believe me?!" She bellowed angrily and revealed what she had been hiding behind her.   
  
Vash couldn't say he was surprised at who it was she was holding onto, this bounty hunter had obviously been watching him for some time, but seeing Meryl being hurt because of him caused a terrible ache in his heart. She had enough stress at the moment without him causing even more problems for her.   
  
The woman took out a gun from a holster on her hip and pressed it sharply against Meryl's temple her face strangely emotionless and her hand steady. For a long moment she paused and looked around as a new hush fell over the crowd, wiping out any murmurs or whispers. She shrugged and smiled, "Well it seems that no one knows where the Humanoid typhoon is...guess I have to kill this insignificant-"  
  
"-Stop!" Vash yelled as he pushed through the crowds to stand only meters away from the bounty hunter and Meryl.  
  
He saw the flicker of a smile on the stranger's face and her grip tighten on Meryl's arm causing a brief flash of pain shooting through the short girl's clouded eyes. Vash swallowed nervously knowing that he didn't have his gun with him and that if he had to fire he would have to use his arm gun. Gritting his teeth he stepped closer reaching up with one hand as if he could offer some comfort to the insurance girl who was trying desperately to act calm. All he wanted was to see her away from this dangerous woman and to keep her safe from all harm, but with him around he knew that this situation had been inevitable.  
  
"So Vash, you decided to show up after all. We were starting to doubt that you cared for this pathetic girl."   
  
"Don't hurt her!" He took another step forwards.  
  
"We'll let her go, if you step inside. We merely wish to speak with you that's all...no blood has to be shed if you just listen to what we have to say,"  
  
"And you'll let her go." He pushed the subject.  
  
"Yes." She confirmed.  
  
"No Vash, it's a trap you idiot!" Meryl's warnings were muffled as the hand, which had been keeping a firm grip on her arm clamped around her mouth.   
  
Vash frowned, he knew it was a trap, but what choice did he have if he wanted to save Meryl? She was too dear to him to just leave behind to die; he would never be able to live with himself. Slowly he approached the stranger ignoring the warning looks he was getting from Meryl, this was something he could not back down from. He just prayed that they would keep their word about setting Meryl free.  
  
Meryl's eyes widened in fear as she saw Vash slowly approach and she desperately tried to get his attention and keep him from walking into the trap. She had heard what they planned to do with him and knew their intentions all too well. Tears welled in her eyes but she kept them in careful check and none escaped from their places in her violet orbs.   
  
"You make one move to help him and you will die." The bounty hunter murmured so that only Meryl could hear. Slowly the woman stepped back taking Meryl with her and continuing until they were in the center of the restaurant. The other workers were tied up and placed to one side, guarded by two of her henchmen who stood silently and nervously. Obviously they feared the man they were trying to take out and Meryl hoped that that fear would be their downfall.  
  
As soon as Vash entered the restaurant the door was slammed shut and was barricaded from the outside, obviously by some more henchmen who had been hiding not too far away. The sound of the closing door echoed around the silent room and never seemed to quite fade away. Vash seemed to reach for his gun instinctively even though it was no longer with him and the realization appeared to hit him hard. He had no way to protect Meryl or himself.   
  
The red light of the sunset seeped in through gaps in the blinds and bathed the room in blood, trickling gently over the smooth surfaces of the tables and the floor. Vash stood poised not really sure what to do, his first choice would have been to try and talk to them but he could see that nothing he could say would work. He let his eyes fall to Meryl who was standing beside the leader, her wrists bound tightly in front of her and eyes sparkling with unshed tears.   
  
"So Vash the Stampede, seems like after all this time we have finally discovered your weakness." The woman smirked and raised her eyes to glare at him. "How rude of me I haven't introduced myself yet have I? You may have heard of me...I am Ivory Sharpshooter and these..." She gestured to the men scattered around the room, "are my loyal followers." She smiled again and released her grip on Meryl who fell to her knees beside her.  
  
"You said you wanted to talk." Vash let his hand reach into his shirt pocket and pull out his sunglasses, which he quickly put on.   
  
"Yes that's right, let's talk about what I'm going to do to you after we have caught you."  
  
"You sound confident."  
  
"You have no weapon and your only armor is thin fabric...you are also outnumbered and I am the one with hostages. Seems like I have already won Vash the Stampede." She sighed and glanced down at the raven-haired woman, her head was bowed and her shoulders shook ever so slightly. Meryl was trying so hard not to cry but it was becoming more difficult by the minute.  
  
Ivory gestured for the men to train their guns on Vash while she leant down beside the shorter woman and grabbed her chin with her free hand before turning her face roughly up to look at hers. Their eyes locked and an understanding passed between them.  
  
'So this woman cares for that idiot of a man, it would hurt her to see him suffer.' Her face relaxed as she delved deep into thought. 'She would be broken if he died, just like I was after...no! I can't think like this, I can't lose my nerve now!' Tightening her vice like grip on Meryl's neck she thrust her back to join the other hostages, the nearest men pinning her to the ground with their feet so she couldn't move.  
  
Vash inched slightly closer as if he could somehow ease her pain but heard the sounds of guns being readied to shoot. He froze again, the panic and anger tightening in his chest and stabbing at his heart.  
  
"Line up the hostages and free them one at a time!" She yelled and two men went over and began to drag the people to their feet and ushering them towards the door to the kitchen where they could get out through the back. Vash was painfully aware that Meryl was not included with the other hostages and was left lying on the ground, her back to him so he couldn't see if she was all right.   
  
"You said you would let Meryl free!"  
  
"Oh we will, we just have to keep her here a little longer so we can make sure you co-operate. Can't have you running off now, can we?" Her eyes sparked with a taunting shade and he frowned, narrowing his eyes; peering at her through the orange lenses of his sunglasses.  
  
"I won't try anything." He assured them but she shook her head briefly.  
  
"If he moves or speaks shoot him...and the girl." She snarled as she went back through the kitchen to converse with the rest of her henchman.   
  
Vash glanced slowly round at the four men who all had their guns aimed for him and tried to stay calm, panicking would not help him or Meryl.  
  
"Do you think the boss will let us keep this one?" One of the henchmen asked, reaching out and rolling Meryl over onto her back. She was unconscious and a few tears had escaped from where her eyes and been closed tightly shut. Her face was pale and her dainty features looked completely relaxed, her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks and she seemed almost childlike. Never had Vash seen her so completely vulnerable and innocent, all the barriers she built around herself during the day just fell apart when she was asleep...or in this case knocked unconscious. Tears were gathering in his aqua eyes, and the familiar ache returned to torment his heart.   
  
His breath caught in his throat when he saw one of the men nudge her side with the toe of his boot so she rolled further over.  
  
"Don't you touch her!" Vash warned and took a slight step forward.  
  
"I thought the boss told you not to move." One of the men warned as he lifted Meryl into a sitting position to lean against the counter. She frowned slightly her brow creasing as she mumbled something like a complaint before her eyes slowly opened. She tried to pull herself to her feet, using her bound hands to grab hold of the side of the counter and force herself to stand. She wavered slightly and glared angrily at the two men who had been standing near her.  
  
"I told you it was a trap you broomhead." She scowled, making sure to keep her gaze fixed on the floor.  
  
"I wouldn't talk to him if I were you." The closest man to her grinned, "We've been ordered to kill him and you if he speaks or moves."  
  
"Idiots." Meryl muttered, her fear being squashed under the weight of her anger. She tugged against her binds but winced as the rope opened a wound in her wrist where her skin had been rubbed raw.  
  
The sound of a door being swung open grabbed their attention again and Ivory reappeared, Meryl narrowed her eyes but remained silent. 'Something just doesn't seem right' She thought as she looked around the room. 'If these people were normal bounty hunters surely they would have killed him by now, I can't help but feel there is something else going on here.' She leaned heavily against the counter and gritted her teeth as she caught Ivory's gaze.   
  
"The plan has changed." Ivory began letting her gaze fall steadily on Vash. "We will have to travel further, the place we were going to go is not prepared for such a..." She paused as if to find the right words then smirked..."Dangerous criminal."  
  
  
  
Vash flinched at the title and lowered his gaze to the ground completely aware that there was nothing he could do. Yes he had been in situations similar to this before, but for some reason he could not see a way out. His vision had been clouded and his judgment blurred because of the fear for Meryl's safety and he knew if he tried anything she would be hurt or worse...killed.   
  
* * * * * *  
  
Meryl glared angrily around at the bounty hunters - assuming that's what they were - and scowled. She could not believe that Vash was just standing there letting himself be taken away; surely he didn't believe that they just wanted to talk. She guessed that they also had no intention of setting her free. She also realized that if she did not do something, then Vash and herself would be in even more danger. She knew they intended on torturing Vash, and in the process would most likely kill her just to cause him pain. Her feelings for Vash would not allow her to let him have that much torture, she had seen what it had done to him before and he did not deserve to be hurt again.   
  
  
  
Whirling round faster than she thought possible she brought her fists cracking into one of the henchmen's face. He let out a cry or rage and in doing so dropped his gun, which fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Reaching down her fingertips brushed against the gun but failed to grab hold of it as the angry man kicked it away.   
  
He furiously grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her back against the wall knocking the back of her head sharply against it. Meryl lifted her head to see the man trembling in rage; 'probably surprised that I could hit so hard' she thought and readied herself for the pain, which would surely ensue.  
  
She watched as the henchmen retrieved his gun and pointed it straight at her, it was then that she lost her nerve and closed her eyes. She could hear her heartbeat steadily thudding inside her chest, its loud echoing sound felt like it might break through her ribcage and she shivered slightly. 'How long could it possibly take to shoot a gun' she thought angrily when suddenly she was pushed sideways and knocked off of her feet. The gunshot rang out a split second after as she was crushed beneath the unknown object.   
  
She was aware of the weight putting uncomfortable pressure to her lungs and making breathing difficult. Drawing in a ragged breath she tried to move but found it impossible and as she opened her eyes her heart almost stopped.   
  
Her clouded eyes met the ones of Vash the Stampede, so close that her eyes found it difficult to focus on them. She was pressed firmly under him from where he had knocked her down away from the bullet and she could feel his body trembling...trembling with pain.   
  
He tried to lift himself up and off of her but failed miserably and his eyes filled with pained tears. Meryl freed her arm and tried to find where the wound was, letting her hand trail down his back and round to his side. Finally she found the sticky substance of blood that soaked his side and tentatively touched the wound pressing her hand over it to try and stop the flow of blood.   
  
"Vash, are you okay?" She asked tentatively but he couldn't answer as he was wrenched away from her grip. The blood that had been flowing freely from his wound had soaked her clothes and she tried to get to her feet only to be struck from behind and knocked to the ground again.  
  
The world went dark...  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Angel: Don't cry Legato, I won't let those crazy fan girls get you.  
  
Knives: Aren't you one of those crazy fan girls?  
  
Angel: Your point?  
  
Knives: *sighs* Never mind.  
  
Kuroneko: nyaa! *Steals the donuts*   
  
Knives: Hey you stupid cat leave them alone! *Starts chasing Kuroneko around*  
  
Angel: Now I'll never find Vash *starts crying*  
  
Legato: Vash?  
  
Angel: Yeah...you know him?  
  
Legato: Blonde haired man...red coat...huge gun...total idiot?  
  
Angel: Yeah that's him!  
  
Legato: That's funny...matches the description of that man over there.  
  
Angel: Wha-what? *Looks at where Legato is pointing* ahh it is him!  
  
Vash: Who? You mean me? *Blinks*  
  
Angel: Yay I finally found him. *Dances*  
  
Vash: Uhh do I know you?  
  
Knives: She is a crazy fan girl after your blood.  
  
Vash: Ahhh scary...*runs away*  
  
Angel: Gah! Knives now look what you did...guess our journey must continue...  
  
Knives: O.o  
  
Kuroneko: (=^.^=) nyaaa!! 


	4. He could feel life’s energy draining awa...

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun  
  
Thanks to reviewers:  
  
Blu and TK...and Knives '  
  
Knives: I am not that lazy!!  
  
Angel: Sure you're not, that's why you get all your henchmen to do the dirty work.  
  
Knives: That is untrue.  
  
Angel ' Thanks for your review anyway!  
  
Knives: Yeah...thanks a lot... ¬ ¬  
  
Surge:  
  
Here is your update, I'm really glad you are enjoying it and thanks for your review.  
  
Dueser:  
  
Thanks for your really nice reviews, they really mean a lot to me and help keep me going. But don't put yourself down about your writing, you are just as good as me if not better, and I'm not just saying that to make you feel better, it's the truth! Glad you didn't mind the cliffhanger and here is the update!  
  
Silverado:  
  
I'm glad you like this story...I never realized how hard it would be to keep two fics up and running at the same time. My fingers are going to be totally worn out at this rate. But it's worth it if people are enjoying it. So thanks for your reviews and I hope this chapter is good enough .  
  
Neptune Butterfly:  
  
Looks at the Jambalaya looks pretty tasty I would let Knives try some...but he seems to have his hand full with that cute kitty. Anyway thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter, you'll have to wait and see who this mystery girl is...Maybe it'll be revealed in this chapter, but until I write it I guess we'll have to see. Between you and me...I don't know who it is either...-;  
  
Dustdragon:  
  
Don't worry, I'm sure Vash will be fine and if he isn't...well...they have donuts in heaven don't they? Just kidding, thanks for your review and enjoy this chapter.  
  
Rainy-days13:  
  
Ahh yes, wouldn't we all goes into dream mode  
  
Knives: Hey don't start doing that again.  
  
Ignore him...anyway thanks for your review, and I forgive your dirty mind because I have one too! But then I'm guessing most people do.   
  
Baz:  
  
Thanks for your comment, ones like that are the most helpful, I guess I didn't write that part very well. What I meant was saying that Vash only uses his gun arm as a last resort so he didn't have the means to protect anyone unless he used it...but it didn't come out that way did it...o well thanks for pointing it out and I may change it when I have the time.  
  
Puchiko:  
  
Ahh I didn't mean to make anyone cry...but I'm glad it was a strong enough chapter to be able to do that. Well I hope you like this chapter just as much.  
  
Ashley:  
  
Thank you for the comments and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.

* * *

Knives: Can someone get this stupid cat away from me!  
  
Kuroneko: Nyaa!! _Chases Knives around_  
  
Angel: What and ruin our source of entertainment.   
  
Knives: I hate you.  
  
Angel: Good.  
  
Knives: _Climbs onto a rock_ so am I going to wake up in this stupid chapter?  
  
Angel: I don't think so...  
  
Knives: What!!! Why the hell not?  
  
Angel: Because I don't want you causing trouble while Meryl and Vash aren't there.  
  
Knives: Oh please _rolls eyes_ what could I possibly do?  
  
Angel: You're supposed to be the superior - you figure it out!!  
  
Legato: Can't we all just get along?  
  
Angel and Knives: Shut up!  
  
Legato: Fine.  
  
Angel: Okay on to the next chapter!  
  
Knives: ...  
  
Kuroneko: Nyaa!!  
  
Knives: O.O Ahh!

* * *

Chapter 4 - He could feel life's energy draining away  
  
It was cold, deathly cold and her whole body felt numb as if it didn't belong to her, but to someone else. Part of her was aware that she wasn't actually awake, but around her everything seemed real, a little too real. Trembling fiercely she stepped forwards out of the shadows and into a brilliant light, which streamed down upon her from the twin suns. They seemed to glow even brighter than usual and the brilliant blues of the sky contrasted deeply with them. No clouds could be seen and raising her face to the light breeze she called out his name.  
  
The silence was strangely deafening and as she glanced around her she realized there was nothing. No animals...no people, no buildings...nothing except desert. The desert itself was a golden beauty that belonged to no one but itself and she felt as if just standing upon it was intruding. Then glancing down at the blistered ground below she noticed something strange about her appearance.  
  
Her whole body was transparent and she jumped back in shock, raising her hand in front of her face she stared at the desert she could see through it. 'I'm a ghost' she thought, 'did that knock to the head...kill me?' Her chest tightened and she battled with the tears, which stung her eyes. She opened her mouth and called his name again - the name of her desire - but found that her voice no longer existed.  
  
Then the two suns that had been blazing moments before fell from the sky and disappeared, casting her into the thickest darkness she had ever known. Never had she believed darkness could be so terrifying and she opened her mouth to give a silent scream, hoping beyond anything else that this wasn't all death had to offer.  
  
Meryl sat bold upright trying to calm her breathing, which was causing her lungs to ache. Trembling slightly she ran her fingers through her raven hair and searched for the spot where she had been struck. As her fingers came into contact with the tender spot a wave of nausea forced her to lie back again. She leaned back against what she thought was a wall until it moved and she gave a surprised cry and tried to pull away, but was stopped by a strong arm wrapping around her waist.  
  
"Don't worry, it's just me." Came a soft voice which made Meryl's heart leap with joy. She wasn't dead and more importantly she wasn't alone.  
  
"Where are we?" She asked quietly as she leaned back against him, letting her taut muscles relax. Vash tensed suddenly and stifled a cry as she knocked his injured side and it was then that she remembered he had been shot. Instantly she broke away from him and swiveled round to face him, her eyes filled with worry.  
  
"I don't know..."He replied with a slight pained tone.  
  
"Did the bullet pass through?" Meryl asked urgently as she reached down and laid a hand against his wound before looking up at his face, searching for the answer in his eyes.   
  
"I think so...ouch!" He complained as she reached round to his back to feel for an exit.  
  
"Sorry." She murmured. "It's too dark to see, but we need to get a bandage or something to stop the bleeding...although I think its slowing because of the shirt." She explained.  
  
"It'll be fine, I've been through worse." He laughed slightly and Meryl raised her head to look into his eyes once more.  
  
"Why did you do it?" She whispered.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Take the bullet...which was meant for me."  
  
"Oh come on insurance girl, you didn't think I would just stand there and watch you die...did you?" Vash grinned in an effort to cheer her up, but what was there to be happy about? They were in some dark place, locked up by complete strangers.  
  
"But...you could have died!" Meryl said; raising her voice above the whisper it had been before.  
  
"I guess..."  
  
"And do you think I would ever forgiven myself if you had?" Tears gathered in her stormy eyes and she ducked her head slightly so he couldn't see.

* * *

Vash's POV  
  
She tried to hide the tears that were in her eyes but I saw them as some unknown source of light glittered off of the crystal droplets. Meryl wasn't the kind of person to cry easily, in fact I had never seen her cry, except that one time when she forced me to tell her who I really was...I still don't understand why she did, I didn't deserve any pity from her. Come to think of it, Meryl wasn't one to show much emotion, she seemed to hide it all away...apart from her anger of course. She seemed to overuse that emotion in my opinion.  
  
She shifted and lifted a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes before they escaped and left telltale trails of moisture on her face. I reached over and took her hand in mine; smiling at how small it was and tipped her face up so I could look into her eyes. The terrible light made it difficult to see anything but I could still tell she was upset.  
  
"Maybe it would have been best if I had..." I murmured.  
  
"You wanted to die?" Meryl asked, confusion evident in her face.  
  
"You could have been hurt...and why? Because you know me!" I told her firmly and she shook her head in denial.   
  
"N-no, they just..."  
  
"It's true Meryl, if it wasn't for me you would be safe right now..." I noticed that I still had hold of her hand and quickly released it.  
  
"But it isn't your fault..." She whispered sadly "You can't take the blame, I won't let you. Anyway you have to stay alive to take care of your brother, remember?"  
  
"I wouldn't have thought you would care whether he died or not." I retorted a little too sharply. She winced as if I had physically struck her and I closed my eyes in shame.  
  
"I meant to apologize for that...and for the other night as well..."  
  
"You have been acting strange lately..."  
  
"I guess I have." She admitted softly, and I wondered that if I prodded enough, she would tell me what had been bothering her all this time.  
  
"You wanna talk about it?" I asked.  
  
"I don't really think this is the right time or place...do you?" She smiled in slight amusement.  
  
"It's as good a time as any." Her smile faded.  
  
I watched her for a while, studying her face as she became swamped in thought then she shook her head as if to free her mind and leaned forwards again. She touched my bullet wound gingerly and then went to ripping up great strips from her workers apron.   
  
"What are you doing?" I asked but she didn't answer, instead she simply reached forward and wound the strip of material around me, which proved difficult in the dark.  
  
After she was done she reached up and touched the wound on the back of her head, a flash of pain shooting through her eyes.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, don't worry about it. We've got to start thinking about how we are going to escape from here." Meryl said, standing up. She wobbled slightly and reached out blindly for a support, which just so happened to be a kind of wall, although it didn't look much like walls of a building.  
  
I stood up, leaning my back against the wall as I got used to being on my feet, the wound in my side screamed angrily at being aggravated and I grasped at it, drawing in a pained breath. Meryl's eyes locked onto me again, concern waving through them as she approached. Maybe she hadn't changed totally, she was still the kind person I had always known. I was beginning to see the person that she kept hidden behind barriers, the sensitive and loving woman she really was.  
  
I wondered why she felt the need to hide away her true self from everyone, she gave out the impression she was some violent insensitive person, which ironically, was the opposite of what she truly was. I'm not so much different from her, hiding behind a barrier of stupidity and clumsiness so that people wont fear me as much and that maybe one day I'll be accepted. Sometimes though my true nature has escaped, the serious one...the destructive one, but Meryl never ran away or tried to kill me. Could I finally dare accept that maybe I did have a friend in this world?  
  
I reached out and stroked her cheek lovingly, she was so small but she never let her size become a weakness. She gasped in shock and tried to pull away, afraid of the contact and affection I was giving her from such a small gesture. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, feeling her trembling form against mine. She was scared, scared of being in this strange little room, and afraid of being comforted. Maybe she didn't want to get used to something that she couldn't always have, or maybe I'm just thinking too much into it.  
  
"Are you okay?" I whispered and felt her nod against my chest. She reached up a hand to rest on the wound in my side, as if the contact would help heal it or somehow draw away the pain. Holding her tighter to try and calm her constant shivering I raised my eyes to glance at the far side of the room, a shadow crawled against a dimly lit wall and that's when I knew we weren't alone. A scuttling noise filled the cell and I tightened my grip around Meryl who instantly tensed and buried herself deeper in my embrace as if just being this close to me would offer protection. I truly wished that I could have protected her so effortlessly, but the scuttling sound in the room forced me to face reality; she was not safe here with me.

* * *

Normal POV  
  
Millie paced the room for the one-hundredth time and paused again by the window to glance out into the street. Meryl was so late, and Vash had just disappeared which was not something he had done before. She had thought that he wanted to be with his brother when he woke up, so why would he disappear?  
  
She wondered if maybe they had finally admitted their feelings for each other and that's why they were gone, but in her heart she knew something bad had happened. Nothing was ever simple with Vash around; she of all people had seen that first hand.  
  
Not able to stand the silence any longer she decided to find out what had happened and left the house as quickly as possible. Walking down the silent street she tried to listen in on any of the conversations that people were having, but either her hearing wasn't good or everybody seemed to be whispering. So when she finally gave up trying to eavesdrop she approached a man who was standing by the saloon, his face looking extremely solemn.  
  
"Excuse me sir." Millie said, putting on her most cheerful smile. "Could you tell me if anything out of the ordinary has happened today?" She realized how strange that must have sounded, but she couldn't very well ask if he had seen Vash the Stampede in town. The man looked up in disbelief, his mouth agape and eyes wide.  
  
"You mean...you don't know what happened?" Millie's heart filled with a sick foreboding and she shook her head dumbly.  
  
The man looked at her and then turned and pointed over to one of the buildings on the other side of the square and reluctantly Millie followed with her eyes. Panic filled her at realizing that he was pointing at the restaurant where Meryl worked.   
  
"What happened?" She asked turning back to face the man.  
  
"Some bounty hunters came into town, they were looking for the humanoid typhoon and were keeping hostages inside. Some of the hostages were freed after the guy turned up but we heard a gunshot..."  
  
"Just one?" Millie questioned.  
  
"Yeah..." The man nodded slowly and Mille stepped back, thanking him and returning to the house. She couldn't believe that things had returned to normal - it was strange she considered this normal - they hadn't had to fight bounty hunters for a long time and she had just believed that now Knives was not causing trouble it would all end.  
  
Running up the short flight of stairs she opened the door to check on Knives, he was lying on his back, his eyes closed and face relaxed. He almost looked angelic in the pale sunshine that shimmered through the lacy curtains that flapped lazily at the window. She entered slowly and crossed the room to close the window before turning to get a better look at Vash's brother.  
  
She remembered the day she had carried him up here to this room, he hadn't been as heavy as she thought he would have. That seemed like such a long time ago, and she hadn't really seen him since the day Vash returned with him. After that Vash had barely left his side not wanting to leave incase he woke up. She could understand that, Vash cared for his brother just as she cared for all her brothers and sisters, she could comprehend the bond between siblings whilst Meryl seemed a little perplexed at why Vash would want to save his murderous brother.  
  
'I miss my family.' Millie thought sadly as she glanced out of the window still not sure what to do about Meryl and Vash. 'I'm sure Mr. Vash will take good care of Meryl...and maybe they need this to help bring them together.' She tried to be as positive as possible but it was starting to get harder.  
  
Sighing she turned back to look at Knives and cried out in shock at the pair of icy blue eyes staring at her. At first she thought that maybe he was still asleep but he moved slightly as if to sit up. She dashed to his side, forgetting for a moment that he was supposedly evil.  
  
"Try not to move Mr. Knives, you're still healing." She tried to get him to lie down but he lashed out instead, causing her to be knocked unbalanced and fall to the ground. Her eyes were wide with shock at how quick he had been considering he had only just woken up, and his harsh breathing and widened eyes scared her more than she wanted to admit.  
  
"Mr. Knives it's okay you aren't in any danger here. I'm Millie Thompson and-"  
  
"-Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" Knives bellowed between shaky breaths, his frame trembling slightly from where he was sat up in the bed.  
  
"Wha-what's wrong?" She stammered as she staggered to her feet.  
  
"Stay away from me!" He continued and she nodded and backed up against the wall...Meryl and Vash weren't the only ones in trouble...  
  
"Are you in pain?" She asked softly and he snapped his head round to look at her, his cold eyes burning with fury, desperation and something else she couldn't figure out.  
  
"He's in trouble..." He gasped.  
  
"Who is?"  
  
"Vash...he's in trouble." His voice was quieter now.

* * *

Vash had gently eased Meryl out of his arms and had her safely behind him so that he could protect her from any frontal attack. She was gripping his shirt as if he might slip away and leave her alone if she even dared to let go.  
  
"How did it get in?" She asked quietly.  
  
"I don't know, the door has been shut tight, it must have been in here the whole time but asleep or something."  
  
"Yeah." Meryl sighed helplessly, "I wish I had my guns with me, stupid waitress uniform."  
  
"It wouldn't do any good if you couldn't see where you were shooting anyway."  
  
"I guess."   
  
The scuttling sound went quiet and a pair of golden eyes lit up the room, bathing it in a magical essence, the shape of a strange creature could be seen huddled in the corner. Its eyes narrowed and pointed white teeth revealed as its lips curled up in a snarl. It took a tentative step forward as if to ward them off and gave a threatening growl, its large paws were heavily clawed and its glowing eyes illuminated its large cat-like form and a glistening mane that framed its face.   
  
"What the hell is that thing?" Meryl blurted out as she cowered behind Vash in the dark cell.  
  
"Hey don't ask me, but that's the largest damn cat I've ever seen and the little ones are scary enough as it is!" He whined as he took a small step back, pressing Meryl against the wall as he did so.  
  
"Hey watch it!" She complained.  
  
"Sorry...but that thing is scary!"  
  
"Idiot." She complained, "And I'm supposed to rely on you to get us out of here in one piece?" She slipped out from behind him and edged away from him, keeping her back to the wall and searching for anything that might help them escape or at least knock the creature out before it could eat them.  
  
She tripped suddenly and fell to the ground, cracking her elbow against the ground and screaming out as the pain lashed up her arm and down her spine. Clutching desperately at her arm, which she was sure she was broken, she searched for the source that had tripped her up and found it to be a large rock. Gripping it in her good hand she lifted it with a little difficulty knowing it was her only defense against the beast.  
  
"Meryl!" Vash called out as he stumbled over to her, the wound in his side still causing him desperate pain. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Just tripped, I found something we can use against that creature though." She glanced up at the cat beast, which was growling up a storm in the far corner, its tail swishing from side to side in rage.  
  
Vash knelt down to help lift Meryl to her feet, one hand gripping her injured arm and jolted it, she cried out involuntarily and he saw the pool of blood on the floor just beneath her. Before he could help her further...or hurt her further the beast pounced and it's roar of resentment echoed deafeningly in the cell.

* * *

Meryl's POV  
  
Everything seemed to be in slow motion, the beast lunging forwards, springing on powerful back legs, its forepaws stretched out and claws unsheathed dangerously. Its face was tugged into a ferocious snarl and revealed its dagger like teeth that would otherwise be hidden in its large jaws. Those eyes were filled with an unnatural anger, as if it was possessed by something completely out of this world.  
  
But no matter how slow things seemed to be moving I couldn't throw the rock in time. The creature lowered its head as the rock flew through the air and landed with a dull clatter on the other side of the cell.  
  
The creature landed, pinning Vash to the ground, its claws scraping tender flesh and making blood bubble up to the surface. Searching desperately for anything to knock the creature out with I searched the ground cutting my hands on the sharp ground, when I finally came to the realization there was nothing I turned around preparing to somehow force the creature off of Vash.  
  
A gunshot rang out deafeningly in the small room and I stumbled back in surprise, Vash couldn't have shot the creature could he? As I got a better look in the dim lights I was partly relieved to see the creature dash away back to its corner. The sound of the gun had terrified it enough to release its prey and cower once again. I crawled over to where Vash lay, his breathing ragged and painful to listen to in the quiet of the room. The only other sound I could hear was the low growling of the beast from where it stood in the darkness, its bright eyes lighting it's trembling form.  
  
"Vash..." I whispered, afraid that if I spoke to loud it would cause the cat creature to pounce again. He looked up at me, his face cast in shadow so I couldn't tell how hurt he was. To my horror I felt tears gathering in my eyes, preparing to reveal how scared I was and it was becoming more and more difficult to hold them back. Before I knew what I was doing I had lain down beside him and embraced him, not caring about being covered in blood from his wounds or if I would regret it later.  
  
A couple of seconds later light poured into the room and I had to shut my eyes to block out the painfully bright radiance.  
  
"I thought I heard gunfire." One voice said and I tried to open my eyes a little so I could see who it was.  
  
"Don't be stupid, we checked them for weapons before we brought them in here." Another muttered and as my eyes grew used to the light I recognized the two men who had been in the restaurant.   
  
"What's wrong with that beast?"  
  
"It's just a stupid animal, that woman puts too much faith into them." One of the men complained, obviously they thought we were either asleep or dead and Vash seemed to notice as well.  
  
I spotted the glint of light that reflected from the gun in his arm as he raised it up, his hand shook slightly but I had faith in him - Vash never missed his target - and a split second later I was proved right as he shot at the beam above the men causing it to splinter and fall down onto them so they were pinned beneath it.  
  
"Let's go." He said as he forced himself to his feet, I got up with him and helped support him to the door. From there he used the wall support and I wasn't needed, the realization that he would prefer the support of a wall over me hurt a little more than I wanted it to.  
  
"Do you have any idea where we are?" I asked as I followed behind him.  
  
"Well...it looks like a deserted prison to me." He indicated the line of cells that we had been walking past since we had left our own chamber.   
  
"I guess it would make sense, but why bring us here?"  
  
"Don't ask me." He shrugged slightly and paused suddenly so that I ran into the back of him.  
  
"Why did you stop?" I couldn't help feeling nervous, my knees were shaking so violently I was finding it difficult to walk.  
  
"There's something up there." We squeezed into a gap between two of the nearest cells and claustrophobia reached out and grasped my heart with such strength I almost cried out.  
  
"It's another one of those cat things." Vash spoke up after an uncomfortably long silence.  
  
"Great." I muttered.  
  
"It's coming this way, stay quiet now." He warned and I nodded in silent understanding and held my breath as the padding of clawed paws echoed from the corridor. My heart pounding so loud I was sure that the creature would hear it but to my relief it passed by without even twitching a whisker.   
  
"That was strange." Vash whispered as the creature walked out of earshot.  
  
"What was?"  
  
"Well...animals usually have really great senses, that creature should have noticed us easily but it didn't."  
  
"Oh Vash you worry about such stupid things, it's a good thing that creature is dumb otherwise we would both be dead by now." He looked at me; his usually soft aqua eyes were almost completely green with pain and worry. He opened his mouth as if to say something more but shook his head and decided against it before grabbing my hand and dragging me back out into the corridor.  
  
I had long forgotten the cuts on my hands until now, from the firm contact they screamed out with a fiery pain and the tears built up in my eyes again although I said nothing. There was no time to worry about little cuts now. I was so afraid I never even cast a thought to the realization that Vash was actually holding my hand!  
  
"This can't be right." Vash murmured, his eyes narrowing as he released me so I could stand beside him on the pathway. He was trembling with pain now, and he looked like he was battling to stay conscious, one hand was gripping the bullet wound in his side whilst the hand that had been holding mine had strayed to the freely bleeding wounds on his abdomen.   
  
"What can't be right?" I asked.  
  
"We're...back to where we started." He leaned heavily against the wall and pointed to where the beam had fallen to the ground from where he had shot it down earlier.  
  
"I did notice that the passage was kind of curved...maybe this whole prison or whatever it is, is circular." I sighed miserably; I had just begun to rekindle the little of the hope that had been there to start with. Yet hope was as fragile as a flame in the wind and all that was left of mine was the smoking wick. Dying...dying...dead.  
  
"Well did you enjoy your little walk?" Came a smooth voice from somewhere in the darkness ahead of us. I recognized the voice of the woman who had been in the restaurant, I think her name was Ivory...such a pretty name for such an evil woman.  
  
"So now that you've finished getting a good look around my domain will you be willing to die?" She asked as she approached slowly, two of the cat-like creatures padding beside her. She smiled at seeing our frightened looks and brushed her long hair behind one shoulder before reaching down to lay a hand on one of the creature's shoulders.

* * *

Normal POV  
  
Ivory gave a silent command to the creatures beside her, their manes of spikes rustling as they padded forwards and pushing Meryl to the other side of the passage. The raven-haired girl fell to the ground landing on her broken arm and cried out in shock. The tears that had been fighting to be free for so long finally trembled down her cheeks and mingled with the blood and dust on the ground.  
  
"Who are you?" Vash asked his eyes straying to the small insurance girl lying on the ground. Although he couldn't see her face he noticed the way her shoulders trembled and could hear her harsh breathing. She was crying with pain, fear, exhaustion and confusion, he wanted to go to her but he could feel life's energy draining away from him.  
  
"I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet." Ivory spoke. "Obviously her death wasn't important enough for you to remember." Her face creased with an angry scowl.  
  
"Who are you talking about?"  
  
"My sister!" She yelled and the two cat creatures roared angrily at sensing their master's anger. "Or rather, my half sister...but things like that don't matter. You killed her and I will finally get my revenge. I will be able to rest at night knowing that my sister's life was avenged."  
  
"Sister?" Vash said as he crumpled to the ground, the loss of blood weakening him to the point where he could hardly stay awake.  
  
"Yes...my sister...Dominique."

* * *

Knives: And I thought you said I wasn't going to wake up.  
  
Angel: So I lied...deal with it.  
  
Knives: And what's the whole deal with me caring about my brother's pain?  
  
Angel: Give it a rest Knives; we all know you care about Vash.  
  
Knives: _pouts_ I do not.  
  
Angel: ¬ ¬ what ever you say.  
  
Legato: You two are so repetitive.   
  
Angel: What's that supposed to mean?  
  
Legato: You argue constantly.  
  
Angel: Well no one asked you to stay, go away.  
  
Legato: I'm not going out there by myself.  
  
Angel: Scared?  
  
Legato: _Nods and whimpers  
_  
Angel: _Rolls eyes_ I can't believe I'm stuck out in the middle of the desert with two evil maniacs.   
  
Knives: That's because no one else will have you!  
  
Angel: Come on let's get going.  
  
Knives: Where?  
  
Angel: That town.   
  
Knives: We are nowhere near any town.  
  
Angel: What do you call that then Mr. Superior?  
  
Knives: _scowls_ a spider nest.  
  
Angel: Not funny! now lets go! _Drags Knives and Legato away  
_  
Note: Ha yes...I didn't actually know how I was going to link my Ivory character in with Vash and his whole killing thing until I wrote this chapter. So it was a spur of the moment decision with the whole Dominique being the sister... 


	5. Their eyes were fixed on their prey

Disclaimer: No I don't own Trigun and never will.  
  
Thanks to reviewers:  
  
Blu and TK - Thanks for your review and that is some interesting gossip about Legato...well sorry for the long wait and I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
Puchiko2 - Yeah I had that vision of Kuroneko too, guess its great minds think alike! Anyways I'm glad you liked it and thanks for your review.  
  
Mabel4gs - Yeah I guess I have been in the mood for writing angst lately, maybe it reflects my mood or something but I suppose its cos my other story has reached the happiness stage I decided to make sure this was the opposite so it kept me writing. Thanks for your review!  
  
Silverado6000 - Yeah I see what you mean about Vash's gun arm but because he left his revolver behind I just assumed he would keep the gun in his arm working because of his reputation and constant ability to get into trouble. I probably should have explained this in the chapter but uhh...I guess I didn't. Sorry for the long update and thanks for your review.  
  
AilanthusFirmare - Thanks for your review and I'm so sorry about the long update I had computer troubles. Anyway here is your fifth chapter and I promise you wont have to wait as long for the next one. I never have thought about writing a humour fic, I don't know if I have enough of it to fill a whole story, but I'll keep it in mind.   
  
White Ninja Spy - Yay thanks for your review and here is the update I apologize for taking so long, it wasn't my choice I swear...anyway please enjoy!  
  
Rainy-days13 - Mutant elephants!! Wow what a wicked idea, they would be like...huge and mouldy with cool patterns and about ten tusks and really spiky tails...ooo-kay getting a little carried away with that, thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
Dark-pyro-angel-2 - Yes I know I should. I'm really a pain aren't I...well I will update more frequently so I apologise. Thanks for your review!

* * *

Angel: I must apologise for my late update, I would explain but it would take a long while but I promise you it wasn't my fault.  
  
Knives: Oh please we all know you sabotaged your computer on purpose.  
  
Angel: Be quiet!   
  
Legato: _-dressed in a disguise-_ I don't like this town  
  
Angel: Why not?  
  
Legato: All the girls keep looking at me.  
  
Angel: They probably recognise you through the disguise you're wearing.  
  
Legato: No way, this disguise is 100% guaranteed!  
  
Angel: _-rolls her eyes-_ It's just a plastic moustache... _-tears it off-  
_  
Legato: Ouch!! _-Whimpers then freezes and glances around nervously-  
_  
Fan Girl: Oh my gosh it's Legato!!!! -the ground starts to shake as a whole stampede of girls appear from around the corner-  
  
Legato: Ahh save me master!  
  
Knives: You got yourself into this mess.  
  
-Legato gets carried away by the screaming fan girls-  
  
Angel: Uh, okay on with the chapter...

* * *

Chapter 5 - Their eyes were fixed on their prey...  
  
Meryl watched with hazy vision as Vash slipped into unconsciousness and tried to ignore the throbbing of the pain in her arm. Tears gathered in her eyes once again but she quickly decided not to cry, it was probably better for Vash to be unconscious and not have to wallow in pain and grief until his untimely end. She had never imagined that they would end up dying in a place like this but looking around at the situation she found it difficult to rekindle any hope.  
  
She quivered and glanced over at Ivory who was staring at Vash's unconscious form angrily. Her dark eyes flashed with anger and possibly doubt at seeing him so helpless and Meryl wondered desperately whether she could use that to her advantage. Maybe she could increase that doubt to guilt and possibly get her to free them.  
  
She looked over at the cat like creatures who had stood as still as statues since their orders had been given, they hardly even seemed natural with their strange eyes glassed over with a dull sheen.  
  
"I don't believe this, I'm just about to kill the guy and he goes and faints on me." Ivory sighed and signalled for her pets to return to her side. Their strange mechanical purring struck a strange rhythm in the corridor as they rubbed up against her; they seemed so similar to regular cats that it was hard to picture them as monsters.  
  
"What will you do once you have your revenge?" Meryl asked softly and looked up at Ivory slowly, her eyes still finding it difficult to focus.  
  
"My goal will be completed and I can go back to my own simple life."  
  
"Would you be able to do that knowing you have killed someone?" Meryl asked her in the same emotionless tone.  
  
"Yes, by that man's death my sister's soul will be able to rest."  
  
"Her soul is already resting, it is you are not able to." Meryl pointed out and the comment seemed to shake the woman considerably.  
  
"I have to carry out the justice which was forsaken before."  
  
"So when you kill Vash and leave me here you should expect me to come and hunt you down to create justice?" Meryl continued when she was given no answer, "I'm not sure what happened to your sister, I only saw her once before and she was very much alive until she strangely disappeared without a trace. I know that Vash would not have killed her, it is not in his nature to destroy and cause needless bloodshed."  
  
"Even so...I must..."  
  
"If you kill him then I will be the same as you, a lost soul desperate to reach a loved one who has journeyed so far that I cannot follow."   
  
"I don't wish to do that to you, but I..."  
  
"I'm begging you, please don't take away the only man I've ever cared about from me."  
  
"Does he even know how you feel? He probably doesn't even care about you and never will! You will be living your life trying desperately to get him to notice you only to fail and have your heart smashed."  
  
"I have the feeling you know the sort of thing I'm talking about." Meryl murmured.   
  
"It was the same with me and my sister, she was always so good at everything and I being the younger sibling tried desperately to become as good as she was but she never noticed. She didn't even pay much attention to me and we were definitely not close."  
  
"Then why feel such a strong urge to avenge her?"  
  
"Because even though she never showed or once told me that she loved me I still cared for her. She was the one person I would look up to, she would be the person I dreamed of becoming when I grew up."  
  
Meryl smiled slightly and leaned back gingerly before repositioning her hand on her arm, the pain was causing her eyesight to double and she knew she would pass out if it continued to develop in strength, but she had to hang on just a little longer.  
  
"I'm sure she did love you, she probably didn't know how to express it." Meryl replied and Ivory nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I hope so...I didn't want to hurt anyone apart from the man who killed my sister. I figured that such an evil person would never have people that loved him...I'm sorry."  
  
"You were just trying to do what you thought was best."  
  
"Yeah well, I see things differently now, I'll help you out of here and get you someplace safe." Ivory smiled slightly and reached down to stroke one of her cat-like friends.  
  
"What are those creatures?"  
  
"These? They are my friends - much more reliable than humans. They are called sun-cats and are actually extremely rare."  
  
"I've never seen one before." Meryl stated as she dragged herself to her feet and staggered backwards slightly.  
  
"It's not surprising, most people never have...anyway there is no time for anymore chat if we want to help your friend."  
  
Meryl nodded weakly and tried to clear the fuzziness from her vision so that she could reach him but failed miserably and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground again. The sun-cats who had been sitting somewhat peacefully were now on their feet, their muscles tensed and teeth bared in a menacing fashion.   
  
Ivory looked down at them in slight confusion when a sudden crashing sound of a wall exploding interrupted the silence. Dust flowed into the corridor like water being released from a dam and Meryl desperately tried to breathe only to find her efforts futile. She tried to see what was happening but finally her weary and pained body gave in and she hit the ground with a dull thud.  
  
Ivory gasped in disbelief at the figure standing in the entrance of the broken wall, he looked menacing and she wondered who on earth he could be and how he had managed to smash through such a thick wall with seemingly no weapon. She took a wary step back as her two pets stepped forward, both crouching low to the ground and growling fiercely. Their eyes were fixed on their prey.

* * *

Knives POV  
  
I stood in the entrance I had made and peered into the dust and dirt, which had billowed up into the air keeping me from seeing what was inside other than my brother. A rage built up inside of me, which burned so terribly that it just had to be released. No one could cause my brother pain apart from me. I could sense the fear and surprise in the room coming from more than just one being but none of them was my brother's fear. I had felt him pass out a while ago and had lost touch with his conscience.   
  
The sound of growling in effort to warn me against entering simple fuelled my anger and as the dust cleared more I saw the terrified figure of a woman. A frail female had injured my brother nearly to death? It didn't really make sense that she could have done all that damage by herself and as I glanced down at the beasts who were steadily approaching me i felt a wave of anger towards them. These creatures had no respect for their superiors and jumping into the corridor I glared at them furiously.  
  
"Who are you?" The woman asked nervously and I raised my head to look at her face, she was pretty for a human but just as weak and pathetic as any woman I had ever seen.  
  
"You don't deserve to know who I am!" I yelled and at that instant one of the beasts pounced, its jaws gaping and white teeth flashing in the darkness. If I had been slower then I would have had my throat ripped out but luckily I managed to step aside and grab the creature so it hung slightly from my grip whimpering like a kitten.   
  
Throwing the beast roughly aside it hit the wall with a crack as its backbone shattered and fell to the ground, its hind legs twitched before falling limp.  
  
"No!" The girl screamed and lunged for me. I knocked aside her attempts to harm me and pinned her against the wall by her neck. She thrashed wildly and tried to prise my hands away but it was pointless to resist.  
  
She opened her mouth to speak but instead gasped for air as I increased my firm grip, I could feel her blood pumping through the artery in her neck and her eyes widened in fear.  
  
"Why?" She choked and drew in a gargled breath.  
  
"You hurt my brother...you will die." She let out the breath she had been desperately holding and I was about to squeeze further when I was alerted by an infuriated roar, which rang in my ears, I turned but it was too late. The beast had leapt and knocked me from its master, I hit the ground and the breath was knocked from my lungs as it clung onto my arm desperately trying to bite it off.  
  
I gave a yell of rage and tore the creature away when a loud yell caught my attention. The woman who had been at the house when I had woken up was standing in the corridor, her eyes angry and somewhat upset. I tried to stand but the newfound energy I had been given when I had woken up finally drained from my injured and tired body. I collapsed once again, aware for the first time that the bullet wounds had opened up once more.

* * *

Normal POV  
  
Millie jumped down into the corridor and dashed firstly to Knives, even in the dim light of the corridor she could see the blood coating his bandages and the wound on his arm. She rolled him onto his back into a more comfortable position and was alerted to a quiet sob from Ivory who had fallen into a sitting position and was clutching at her throat.  
  
Leaving Knives to lie on the ground Millie carefully approached Ivory who was still in shock from what had happened. The remaining sun-cat was trying to comfort her and turned its large eyes to glare at Millie, a threatening growl in its throat.  
  
"Are you okay, I'm sorry about Mr. Knives, he is just very protective over his brother." Millie apologised softly.  
  
"Forget about me and save your friends." The woman gasped and pointed shakily over to the left. Millie followed the direction and caught sight of Meryl and Vash who were clearly unconscious.  
  
"I can't save them alone, you'll have to help me carry them out Miss...uh."  
  
"Ivory."  
  
"I'm Millie, pleased to meet you." She put on a cheerful grin and helped the woman to her feet before approaching the others.  
  
Millie sat Meryl down on the backseat of the car she had hired from town so that she could follow Knives and sighed with fatigue. Meryl had been hard enough to carry through the rubble and she had no idea how she and Ivory were going to carry Vash and Knives to the car.  
  
"I'm so tired, do you think we will be able to manage getting the others out?" Ivory asked as she sat down on the sand and wiped her brow with her sleeve.  
  
"I don't know but we have to try." Millie said as she forced herself to walk back to the crumbling corridor. Ivory nodded and followed the tall insurance girl raising her head to meet the cool breeze that was rising with the evening. Her hair flowed out behind her waving in gentle waves and her pale skin contrasted with the bruising which had appeared on her neck.  
  
"Hurry up." Millie called and Ivory nodded again and followed her back into the building.  
  
Carrying Vash up to the car proved extremely difficult and it took them a good half an hour to drag him over the rubble, it was also much the same for Knives and when they finally had all of them in the car Millie turned it around and headed back to town. There had been no room to bring the surviving sun-cat and so Ivory had sadly set him free before clambering into the car.   
  
By now the suns had finally dipped into a veil of red cloud and the shadows increased quickly across the sand. Millie sat back in the drivers seat and glanced across the desert, which seemed to go on forever but she knew it wouldn't. Nothing ever lasted that long and in the end she knew the lights of the little town that they now called 'home' would appear any time now.   
  
As if by magic the town appeared through the haze of sand and she felt herself relax a little more. She turned her head to glance at Ivory in the passenger seat beside her and smiled. She was glad she had been able to arrive in time to save the woman's life; she just hoped she had been quick enough to save her other friends.  
  
"I'm so sorry for hurting your friends." Ivory murmured and Millie turned again to look at her.  
  
"It's okay, you must have had your reasons." Millie smiled and turned to look at the road once more.  
  
"But now I see those reasons weren't good enough...you're friend there made me realise that."  
  
"Who Meryl?" Millie smiled and nodded, "Meryl would do anything to protect Vash and I can guarantee what she said was the truth."  
  
"She said things that made me realises the path of revenge I had chosen was wrong and by killing Vash I would do nothing but cause more pain."  
  
"And she's right."  
  
"I know...and its such a simple concept I feel foolish that I never discovered it for myself."  
  
"Don't worry about it, everyone needs a little help to discover things in their lives." Millie grinned.

* * *

Meryl's POV  
  
The silence and darkness I had been wallowing in was slowly dissipating to consciousness and I found I could no longer ignore the blur of voices, which kept stabbing into my skull. The pain that had been lost to me in my muddle of dreams and nightmares returned and I gasped at the painful ache of my wounds, which flooded through me.  
  
The voices were still slurred and irritating and carefully I opened one eye to glance around hoping desperately that I would find myself out of that horrible corridor and back in my own room. At first I could see nothing but a whitish blur, was I still in the dark corridor? Why was the air so clear? And who did those voices belong to?   
  
This time I opened both eyes and waited patiently for the dizziness to clear from my vision. Finally I could make out the white of a ceiling above me and the strange smell of disinfectant. I tried to sit up only to have a spark of pain shoot up my arm and couldn't help but cry out the voices stopped instantly and the sound of a door being thrown open rattled in my skull painfully.  
  
"Oh Meryl you're finally awake!" I never thought I would be so happy to hear Millie's voice; it seemed like such a long time since I had heard it last. I smiled weakly and glanced around the plain looking room before settling my gaze on Millie who had been followed by someone else.  
  
"Hey Millie...where...am I?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.  
  
"You're at the small town hospital, me and Ivory brought you here with Mr. Vash and Mr. Knives."  
  
"Are they okay?" I asked and relaxed at Millie's smile and nod of confirmation.  
  
"Mr. Knives wasn't too badly injured he just needed to have his bandages replaced and plenty of rest. He's back at the house."  
  
"And Vash?" I asked nervously.  
  
"He's improving." The doctor interrupted and hustled Millie from the room.  
  
"See you later Meryl!" Millie called. I sighed and watched them leave, the doctor pausing long enough to tell me to get some rest, and then I was alone again.  
  
I gritted my teeth in frustration and waited a few minutes before slipping out from under the covers and standing up. My legs felt shaky and I leaned my palm against the nearest wall for support. I stood there for a moment or two longer before taking careful steps towards the closed door. It seemed to take forever to reach but leaning up against it I listened for any sound coming from outside and was irritated at hearing two voices that didn't sound like they were too far away. I stood and waited for the voices to pass and when thy finally faded away I turned the door handle and stepped out into the small corridor.   
  
The doctor's house was small and had only two rooms where he kept only the worst of his patients otherwise people would be treated at home. I had been here once before to get bandages just in case Vash had another accident, which he seemed to always be having.   
  
I carefully crept along to the second room, which wasn't too far away and opened the door a little. Peering around the gap into the small room I spotted Vash lying on the bed looking content and peaceful. Sighing with relief I entered the room and closed the door with a light click behind me and approached the bed. There was no chair so I knelt down beside him and stroked loose strands of golden hair away from his closed eyes. My hands had been bandaged from the scratches I had received on the floor of the cell and my arm was in a cast but other than that I looked in one piece. Vash too looked quite all right and I smiled slightly at that realisation.   
  
Resting my bandaged palm against his cheek I finally let myself relax fully, he was safe and seemed to be healing fast. Hopefully this would be the last pain he would have to suffer but deep in my heart I knew his life would never be empty of pain. I found herself wishing that I could help rid him of past pain but laughed quietly as I realised how stupid that must sound. What could I do to possibly help a man who had seen over a century of suffering, a pain that had etched deep into his heart and soul?   
  
I leaned forward and rested my head against the blanket beside him and fell finally into a restful sleep.

* * *

Angel: Looks like its just you and me now Knivesy   
  
Knives: Great joy...  
  
Angel: Well I guess Vash isn't in this town.  
  
Knives: I guess not...  
  
Angel: Okay let's go hire a car, we can drive to the next town!  
  
Knives: At least it will be quicker.  
  
Angel: Yup! Let's go!  
  
Legato: _-heard screaming in the distance-  
_  
Okay just a quick note, I'm so sorry for taking so long with this but my computer went crazy and had to be deleted blah blah blah...and then the modem stopped working so we had to phone up to get it replaced and it took days for them to come and by the time it came to writing the chapter I kinda forgot where I was heading with this...so if anyone has any suggestions of what should happen next feel free to give them. 


	6. Redeverything was red

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun and I don't own the extracts of songs either...damn I don't own anything.  
  
Thanks to reviewers:  
  
Dueser: Hey don't worry about it, I don't mind if you are busy and don't have time to review, this story isn't going anywhere so you can take your time. I really appreciate you reviewing my other stories I have written. Don't worry Ivory hasn't completely given up on revenge just yet you'll have to wait and see what happens. Sorry for the delay in an update but I had a bit of block on this story until I came up with a new idea.  
  
Blu: Don't worry my computer is feeling a lot better after some well deserved rest. Anyway thanks for your review, as always it made me laugh and that is the key to a great review...anyways glad you like it and take care of Legato...or not...  
  
Pyro: (see, see I shortened it ) You write really good as well, don't ever doubt your abilities. Anyways thanks for your review and I hope you like this chapter.  
  
Neptune Butterfly: Yeah I'd say that Knives needs to cool down a bit too, I guess he'll never learn. Thanks for your review and yes my computer is much better now, though for how long is anyone's guess.  
  
Geranium: Thanks for your review and I'll keep your idea in mind.  
  
Ashumi Mikito Lupin: Oh yes I see what you mean about Ivory but don't worry she hasn't finished just yet; there will be more to come of her. Thanks for your ideas and I think I'm finally over my block now. Thanks so much for your comments and I hope this update is just as good.  
  
Anime/MangaMichelle: Don't worry there is one more chapter to come after this one so it hasn't ended yet. Glad you liked it and thanks for your review.  
  
NinaWilliamsTheSilentAssassin: Oh yes me and Knives are having lots of fun...well not really but it's better then being stuck alone in the desert. You're right about Vash having bad luck, guess I'll have to mend that and yes its Meryl and Vash all the way! Thanks for your review.

* * *

_-Somewhere in the middle of nowhere-_  
  
Angel: I swear I've seen that rock before.  
  
Knives: It's a rock...  
  
Angel: Yeah and I've seen it before.  
  
Knives: _-sigh-_ I can't believe I let you drive.  
  
Angel: And what's wrong with my driving?  
  
Knives: Do you even have your license?  
  
Angel: License? What's that?  
  
Knives: Oo I don't believe this.  
  
Angel: Let's put on some music.  
  
Knives: Let's not.  
  
Angel: I paid for this car and I'll damn well listen to music _-hits Knives over the head-_ Okay let's try and work out how this thing works.  
  
Knives: _-sigh-_ women...  
  
Angel: Ahh there you go, I'll just ignore that last comment. _-The radio tunes in-  
_  
Radio: If you've just tuned in you are listening to a whole 24 hours of non-stop romance classics. Happy listening.  
  
Angel: Oh well it's better than nothing. _-Turns up the volume-  
_  
Knives: Oh great...  
  
Angel: _-singing along to the radio-_ Love is in the air, everywhere I look around,  
  
Love is in the air, every sight and every sound.  
  
Knives: Kill me now...

* * *

Chapter 6 - Red...everything was red  
  
Meryl's POV  
  
I stood impatiently whilst Vash was being given his final check up before getting permission to leave. He had apparently been bugging the doctor all day, saying that he was fine, and whining until he gave in. I smiled, that man could be so childish. I had opted to come and meet with Vash whilst Millie went shopping with Ivory. Knives had regained consciousness this morning and was looking quite well considering everything that had happened.   
  
I occupied my time by looking at the health posters scattered on the walls, they weren't very interesting and some were quite disturbing. Then I sat back down on a chair and glanced up at the ceiling, it was so white and clean that it seemed strange. Just like everything else in this place, it didn't seem to fit in with this little dusty town.  
  
I thought back to a couple of days ago when I had fallen asleep next to Vash's bed and blushed very slightly. I hadn't meant to but for some reason when I was with him I felt a great inner calm that lulled me to sleep. Luckily he hadn't found me there but unluckily the doctor had and now he had it in his mind that Vash and me were together...as in dating. Who on earth could possibly think such a thing? I thought doctors were supposed to be intelligent, but then they work mostly on physical pain and injuries than mental ones, so I suppose I could let him off for thinking it.  
  
I heard voices in the hallway, which sounded suspiciously like Vash and the doctor whose name I didn't know, and tried to force myself to relax.  
  
"See, didn't I tell you I was a fast healer."  
  
"So it seems..."  
  
"Well it's been fun."  
  
"Your girlfriend is waiting in the reception area for you." I blushed violently and turned my head so I could pretend I hadn't heard.  
  
"Girlfriend?" Vash was clueless, and I was partly glad about that. The door swung open and they both entered whilst I tried desperately to look preoccupied with a leaflet I had found on one of the tables. It fluttered from my grip as soon as I caught sight of Vash.   
  
He looked quite healthy in fact, a pale blue shirt that had been left unbuttoned revealed the bandages that had been wrapped around his chest. His blonde hair had been left to hang around his face and his gleaming aqua eyes seemed surprisingly alive and vibrant.   
  
"Hey insurance girl." He raised a hand and smiled at me and I smiled back at him.  
  
"Come on let's get back." I retorted a little more sharply than I had intended.  
  
"Yes ma'am!" He saluted and dashed over to me before casting a glance behind his shoulder, "see ya doc!" His tone was light and happy, probably because he couldn't wait to get out of there and start stuffing himself with donuts again.   
  
We walked back in silence, neither of us making any effort to speak. My arm, which was still in a cast, was starting to ache and I wished that it would just heal, but I knew it would still be a long time before that would happen. I glanced up at Vash from the corner of my eye so that he wouldn't notice and felt a twinge in my heart. He was walking beside me but not too close as if he was afraid of getting me angry by doing so. His eyes were directed to the ground and he seemed to be drifting into an abyss of endless thoughts.  
  
Tears trembled in my eyes and I made sure to keep them from escaping but there was something in his dejected figure that made me realise...Vash could never love me as much as I loved him. This hit me so powerfully that one tear managed to escape and slide down my face. Until this moment I had held within my heart a frail hope of possibly winning his love, but for some reason that hope had been crushed and I was left with a hollow of what could never be.  
  
That man could not afford to be tied down by any woman; he couldn't commit himself to a serious relationship. That's why he always went for the girls who had no intention of going any further then a one-night stand. If I told him that I loved him now, it would force him into an impossible situation to either stay and pretend like nothing had happened or leave. I knew he would choose to leave seeing as he always preferred that choice from any other.  
  
The last thing I wanted was for him to dissapear and never see his smiling face or shining eyes again. I wanted him to stay for as long as possible and I would not scare him away by spilling my heart out to him. I would just have to live with it and find something else to keep my heart from become a shell of grief and despair. Work had always helped before, but now my work revolved around him...I would have to think of something else.  
  
This kept my mind preoccupied until we reached the house where I left him to stay in the lounge and dashed up the stairs to my room. Okay...now think Meryl what can you do to keep your mind from that man? Well I stayed in my room trying to think of something for a good few hours, desperately hoping that I would come up with something. I didn't...nothing could ever replace Vash in my heart.

* * *

Normal POV  
  
Vash glanced up the stairs again and wondered why Meryl was taking so long to come down, and where everyone else was. He guessed his brother was upstairs resting and smiled at the thought of what Millie had told him the other day...Knives had saved him. Could it be possible that Knives and him could be like regular brothers instead of trying to hurt each other all the time? He hoped that it could be achieved.  
  
Leaning back in the chair he had sat down in he glanced over to the stairs once again and frowned very slightly. Meryl still hadn't come down and he wondered if there was something wrong with her, she hadn't spoken to him and the thought that she blamed him for what had happened to her crossed his mind. In all truth it had been his fault they had come after her, but things like this had happened before and she had never blamed him...unless she had simply hidden that blame from his view.  
  
Standing up he stretched gingerly so as not to aggravate his wounds, which still ached slightly and snapped his head around as Millie entered with someone else. They were holding bags of supplies and talking quietly about something that sounded quite important. They stopped and Millie's face lit up at seeing Vash back in the house.  
  
"Oh Mr. Vash you're back already. I was hoping that we could get dinner started before you arrived. I guess Meryl couldn't wait any longer, she missed you a lot." Millie grinned.  
  
"How long was I asleep?"  
  
"Four days." Millie continued, "The doctor thought you would be out for longer."  
  
"I'm a quick healer."  
  
"Yup." Millie nodded and stepped aside to let Ivory into the room.  
  
The woman slipped into the room casting a suspicious look at Vash who chose to ignore it and start digging through the bags that Millie had put down on the table. Millie laughed at the gunman's childish antics and batted his hands away.  
  
"Where is Meryl anyway?" She asked.  
  
"She went upstairs and never came down again."  
  
"And you didn't think to check up on her?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"You're hopeless." Millie shook her finger at him and he looked down at his feet as a guilty child would. "What if she got hurt, or is upset about something, don't you think she would want to be comforted?"  
  
"Not by me." Vash murmured.  
  
"Why not Mr. Vash? You haven't said anything to annoy her again have you?"  
  
"It's more of what I did."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"It was my fault she got hurt in the first place...she blames me for it." He ignored the uncomfortable look from Ivory who had taken a couple of steps back.  
  
"Now Mr. Vash does that sound at all like Meryl? She doesn't blame you for anything, she thinks very highly of you and maybe even lo-" she paused "looks up to you." With that she picked up the bags and took them into the kitchen, motioning for Ivory to follow her.  
  
Vash sighed and sat down again, he had to think about what he was going to say to Meryl. Even if she wasn't mad at him he had still caused her great pain and the guilt was beginning to build. Slumping back in the chair he glanced up at the ceiling with his clear aqua eyes and tried to think...there had to be someway of making it up to her.  
  
'Maybe I could get her something.' He thought but then realised that he didn't know enough about the insurance girl to buy something she would like. Come to think of it, he knew absolutely nothing about her except she had a bad temper and a kind heart.   
  
A heart that he found he quite adored.   
  
He thought back to the time when Meryl had saved him from being shot by those men, she had done so without fear or sensible thought. She had protected him and spoken words that he thought he would never hear from anyone other than Rem. Yet Meryl had said them with such understanding and truth that it was like seeing Rem all over again. It was as if Rem had returned to him that day, with a message...a message that he had long forgotten and shouldn't have. That was not the only thing though, from that one little vision he had received he also gained a new respect for the insurance girl that he would never admit. The hug he had given her afterwards had been his clumsy way of saying how much he appreciated her friendship.  
  
He sighed and closed his eyes, she had tried to save him again at the restaurant, telling him to go away and not walk into the trap...She had also forced the cat creature from him and had offered a shoulder for him to lean on. She had done so much, and all he had done was get her into terrible situations in which she was usually hurt or upset and yet she remained with him...why? That question repeated in his mind and he wondered whether he should ask her...would she laugh or say that he should figure it out?   
  
Standing up, he stretched lightly and glanced up the stairs before taking a few nervous steps towards them. He paused to look in at Millie and Ivory who appeared to be preparing food before slipping upstairs.

* * *

Meryl was pacing back and fourth trying desperately to think of a way out of this situation. Could she handle living under the same roof as him and pretend she liked him only as a friend? Would she be able to forget about him and move on even if she did leave? She highly doubted it.  
  
A light tap on the door brought her to a sharp halt in her mental debate and she tilted her head towards the source of the sound. She approached softly; checking her face in the mirror just in case the tears had left any obvious marks - they hadn't.   
  
Opening the door with a sharp turn of the handle brought her vision to a blur of pale blue and she glanced up at none other than Vash. Her breath caught in her throat and for a moment she thought she would suffocate until her brain reminded her she could breathe quite normally.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked after a moment of silence. Vash blushed and smiled at her shyly.  
  
"I came to apologise."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For making you a target...you could have been killed and it would have been all my fault."  
  
"Vash..."  
  
"No listen." He cut her off and slipped into the room closing the door behind him. "I know you are going to say that it was completely out of my control and that it was nothing to do with me...but it was." He paused and looked into her eyes briefly, "If you didn't know me none of that would have happened to you...but I realised today it hasn't been the first time you have been put in danger."  
  
"I'm used to it...and it's part of my job." Meryl replied.  
  
"You care too much about your job if it means putting your life at risk."  
  
"Hey! Wait just a minute; it's not just because of my job that I do those things...that time when I stopped those men from shooting you it wasn't because I was afraid of getting sacked from my job." Meryl's eyes darkened with anger and Vash leaned back against the door; he had really done it this time.  
  
She seemed to trail off as if she had just realised what she had been saying and looked a little flustered...'I did it because I love you' she thought with a soft smile wishing more than anything that she could say it out loud to him.   
  
"Then why did you do it?" Vash asked quietly.  
  
"Because..." She paused and lowered her gaze to the ground..."I guess this is a good a time as any to tell you."  
  
"Tell me what?"   
  
Meryl had to force herself to not get angry, here she was trying to tell him how she felt and all he could do was ask questions that she was trying to answers. Oh and how hard those answers were, she desperately tried to put some words together so that her feelings made sense...she laughed when she realised all it took was a simple 'I love you' that should make all things clear.  
  
The problem was that Meryl's feelings for this blonde gunman could not be summarised by those three words. Her feelings went deeper than just love. She felt a need to be with him always, a desire to hold him and watch him breathing as he slept at night. She wanted to be the one to give him comfort and bring that beautiful smile onto his face Love barely touched the surface of her feelings.  
  
"Well, it's hard to explain..." Meryl tried again.  
  
"Take your time, its not like I have anywhere to be." He beamed down at her and she raised her eyes to look at him, the violet in them softening with affection.  
  
"Well when I first met you...I didn't like you at all and I suppose you knew that. You can't blame me though because you did act like a complete idiot most of the time...but...I think I understand why you felt the need to act that way."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I for one know how intelligent you really are, you just acted all goofy to throw people off, make them more relaxed around you...so that they didn't fear you." Meryl had his complete attention now.   
  
"You are one of the only people who knows about me and my past Meryl..." Vash's voice was nervous. "I was too afraid to ever tell anyone else, any normal person would have screamed and ran away terrified after seeing all my scars and hearing about my past..." His eyes quivered with tears.  
  
"Oh Vash..." His name came out as a soft sigh.  
  
The two stood for a moment absorbing in this new step of their friendship eagerly. Both of them reaching a new understanding of each other, which gave a great sense of comfort.  
  
"I don't even know why I told you about me and my brother, being plants and everything..."  
  
"I was surprised too, I didn't actually expect you to tell me when I demanded to know what was going on." Meryl admitted and smiled. "I'm glad you did, it made me realise so much about you, and why you act the way you do even if it is a little crazy sometimes."   
  
"So uh what were you trying to say before?"  
  
"What? Oh right..." She blushed a little, "Well you have become more than a job to me Vash, I know that's what I thought of you at first...but I'd like to think that you were my friend and I know for a fact that Millie thinks of you as one."  
  
"Thanks Meryl...it means a lot to me..." He gave her a smile then...one of his rare, true smiles that made Meryl's heart quicken and her knees tremble. God how she loved this man standing in front of her...she knew now as she looked up into his eyes that no other person could ever replace him in her heart.  
  
"Vash...I guess what I've been trying to say is...well..." 'Just tell him dammit!' her mind screamed when suddenly a loud shriek of rage was heard from down in the lounge.   
  
The two of them froze staring at each other in horror before dashing from the room to the scene in the kitchen.   
  
Red...everything was red...

* * *

_-A few hours later-  
_  
Angel: _-singing-_ near, far, wherever you are...  
  
Knives: grrr...  
  
Angel: _-still singing-_ I believe that the heart does go on...  
  
Knives: ...  
  
Angel: _-singing-_ Once more you...  
  
Knives: Shut the hell up! _-Rips the radio from the car and throws it into the desert-  
_  
Angel: I think that was uncalled for.  
  
Knives: I hate you.  
  
Angel: _-rolls eyes-_ so you have said...oh...a thousand times.  
  
Knives: _-slumps in his chair-_ then I'll say it again...I...hate...you.  
  
Angel: Do you see that?  
  
Knives: It looks like someone has fallen down in the road...  
  
Angel: I don't pick up hitchhikers   
  
Knives: What the hell. It's my stupid brother!  
  
Angel: Wha!? OO  
  
Knives: Yep, it's definitely him.  
  
Angel: Ahh I gotta get him in this car.  
  
Knives: I thought you didn't pick up hitchhikers?  
  
Angel: Shut up!

* * *

Note: I'm soooo sorry for taking so long but I'm back with this story and just to let you know the next chapter will be the last one. So leave a review if you want to and uhh... 'Love and Peace' 


	7. Sense of Impending Death

Note: I am sooooo sorry for taking so long...I don't know what else to say so let's get thanking all you kind and patient reviewers.  
  
Stormy - definitely agree with you on that one. Thanks for your review and here is the update.  
  
Blu - Glad you liked it and I apologise for the cliffhanger...and for the long time to update...Hope it is worth the wait and thanks for your review.  
  
Amanda a.k.a Kazk - Sorry for the cliffhanger and I'm even more sorry for the long wait. I struggled a bit with this chapter but anyway it is here now. Thanks for your review  
  
kagomeandinuyasha4ever - Thanks for your review, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and I'm going to try and make this a really good chapter.  
  
Neptune Butterfly - Yeah I hope it isn't tomato juice cos that stuff stains like hell...but then I guess blood does too...oh well you'll have to wait and see what happens, I have a rough idea of what I am going to do but not fully. Thanks for your review and enjoy the last chapter.  
  
Pyro - Yes I get very confused by writing two stories as well, which is why I chose to end this one so...abruptly. So I completely understand how it is, plus I really want to focus on 'If Hearts Could Speak' and get some quicker updates for it. Sorry about interrupting the confession...it couldn't be helped...well it could but I felt like being mean. Any ways thanks for your review and here is the update.  
  
SwordKat - Thanks for your review and I apologise for the long wait!  
  
Roganu-chan - Yes I will, I will update, and here it is so I hope you enjoy it and thanks for your review.  
  
Silky-keno - no don't cry here is your update and thanks for your review, it is much appreciated.  
  
ICENFS - I will try and keep the quality going, thanks for your review.   
  
Dueser - Heh sorry about the cliffhanger, I'm not usually that mean...well not really. I'm glad you are happy with the direction I'm going to take; I'm thinking of something really angsty since I'm not in a very fluff mood today. I have read your second chapter and I'll have to email you about that sometime, I will get round to it...sometime. I'm a typical procrastinator -sigh- any way thanks for your review, it is very much appreciated.

* * *

Angel: I don't believe we have finally come to the last chapter.  
  
Knives: Well I for one am glad, this story sucked...I was hardly even in it apart from when I got beaten up by that overgrown cat.  
  
Kuroneko: grrrrr.  
  
Knives: _-backs away from the kitty-_   
  
Angel: So why are you still here Knives?  
  
Knives: Do you really expect me to be dumped off in the desert?  
  
Angel: Well...yeah I kinda did seeing as how you complained the whole time about being with me.  
  
Knives: It's not my fault all you humans are so stupid.  
  
Angel: Be quiet! He's waking up!  
  
Knives: Great...now I'm going to be trapped in a car with two idiots and an evil cat.  
  
Kuroneko: Nyaa!

* * *

Chapter 7 - Sense of Impending Death  
  
Millie looked around at the chaos in sheer terror, there was a sickening feeling in her stomach which had slowly crept up into her throat and hung there, tempting her to throw up. Her once shining blue eyes that sparkled with happiness were dark and dull with fear and grief. She had never witnessed anything like this before and she was so sure that Ivory had already released all the pent up anger.  
  
How wrong she had been.  
  
Everything has happened so quickly that it was hard to believe it had happened at all, but the sight before her cut deep inside. She knew that it had happened and she had allowed it to occur.  
  
Tears shone now in her azure orbs and finally her limbs broke free from their freeze and she fell to her knees beside the motionless body. The life now gone from open, unfocused eyes which stared through her and into the space of nothingness.  
  
Millie was barely aware of Vash and Meryl as they entered the room, her focus fixed on the blood, which was pooling around her and being soaked up into her clothes. A tear escaped and streaked down her face, falling to the ground to mix with the blood.  
  
Suddenly she noticed movement and glanced up at Vash who was standing in shock, his aqua eyes darkening to green and brimming with tears, the sight already crushing his soul. Meryl was just behind him, one hand reaching up to cover her mouth to stop the frightened scream that might have pushed its way into reality. The other hand reached up to grip Vash's arm as tears filled her own eyes. She knew exactly what this sort of tragedy could do to the man she loved. If he went into another traumatised state her efforts to try and tell him how she felt would be lost.  
  
"I'm so sorry...Mr. Vash." Millie choked from where she knelt on the ground and wiped at the tears, which were flowing, down her face. Her apology fell on deaf ears and as she glanced into the face of the gunman she wished she hadn't. There was so much pain in his eyes and she felt more tears building.   
  
"Millie..." Meryl spoke, her voice pained "What happened? Are they..." She couldn't finish her sentence as her eyes darted between the two bodies.  
  
Ivory lie beside Millie, her inert figure and blank eyes void of life, blood seeping from an injury to her head. Knives was slumped against the wall, his head lowered so his chin rested against his chest, which was covered with blood.  
  
Vash finally seemed to snap back to reality, his eyes focusing firstly on Ivory and then sliding sideways to settle on his motionless brother. In seconds he had broken free from Meryl's grasp and was by his brother's side.

* * *

Meryl's POV  
  
I didn't know what to do...I felt completely helpless watching my two friends break before my very eyes. The sight of the room itself was enough to bring tears to my eyes and I still didn't understand what had happened. Had Ivory done something to upset Knives or had it been the other way round?  
  
I closed my eyes to block out the picture of grief before me and held the tears behind my eyelids, there was no use in crying. From what I could tell Ivory was dead and the way Knives sat slumped against the wall made me pretty sure he was dead or dying. I didn't even want to imagine what his death would do to Vash.  
  
I took a shaky step backwards, afraid of the reality of the situation and wanting to hide from what had happened. It didn't seem like anything was going to go my way, but perhaps this was proof enough that Vash and I were just not meant to be together. It wouldn't have worked anyway; me aging with the passing of time and him staying vibrant and young. That little fact in itself was probably enough to end the relationship before it had properly begun.  
  
But what the hell am I thinking about this for?  
  
Vash's brother is dead and all I can think of is myself! I feel suddenly sickened by my own thoughts and I open my eyes to glance at Millie who is looking up at me with a terrified look in her eyes.  
  
"He's alive..." Vash's voice is a whisper of hope and my heart lightens, I never thought I would be wishing for Knives to live.  
  
"I'll get the doctor." I speak up and dash past them and out of the door.  
  
The sun momentarily blinds me and I run as fast as possible, which isn't very fast considering my legs were shaking considerably. The doctor's office was not very far from the house at all, but that small trip seemed to be the longest one of my life. By the time I reached the small house with it's large door I pushed through it and almost stumbled over someone who was standing just inside the door.  
  
"Hey what's the hurry Miss?"  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, I'm looking for the doctor, is he here?"  
  
"He's tending to a patient in one of the small rooms at the back."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Hey wait a minute, you can't just go barging in there." The man said as he moved to stand in front of me.  
  
"You listen here buddy, my friend's brother is dying, and you'll let me pass right now!" I felt my anger beginning to get the better of me. This stupid idiot was blocking me from the only person who could help Knives...Vash and me.  
  
"Now little lady, I don't like being ordered around like that, you need to learn some manners."  
  
"Don't make me tell you again!"  
  
"I'm not going to listen to your damn..."  
  
"Hey what's going on out here?" I let out a sigh of relief at the sound of the doctor's voice.   
  
I pushed past the annoying man and came face to face with the doctor, a look of irritation on his usually passive face.  
  
"I'm so sorry to bother you doctor, but my friend Knives got hurt. I think he might be dying, you have to help him!"  
  
"That young man doesn't have much luck does he?" The doctor shook his head, "Let me just gather some things, I'll be right back."  
  
I waited impatiently for him to get his equipment and glanced over at the man who had tried to stop me from seeing him. His gaze was slightly annoyed and I wondered why he was here in the first place. He didn't exactly look sick and then the idea hit me, maybe a friend of his was the person who was being treated. That would explain the defensive behaviour. I opened my mouth to apologize but the doctor chose that time to come back out holding a rather heavy looking bag.  
  
"Let's go." He said and I nodded and took off at a brisk walk, looking back to make sure he hadn't lost sight of me in the crowds of people that were gathering in the town centre.   
  
When we reached the house I stayed outside until he caught up and gestured for him to go in. "They are just through there doctor...but I don't think I can go in." I gave him a shaky smile and stepped back as he entered and listened to his shocked exclamation as he hurried over to deal with Knives.  
  
I stood outside and glanced out at the street and mainly at the oblivious people walking around in the hot rays of the sun. None of them knew of the raging storm inside our house or inside of me. I felt more alone than ever and I wished there was someone here with me other than the black cat, which was chasing a bit of litter in the dusty street.  
  
"Meryl..." I whirled round to see Millie standing in the doorway, her face streaked with tears and her eyes brimming with more. She had changed into clean clothes and was trying her best to keep the small smile on her face.  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
"The doctor, will organise Ivory's burial." Millie murmured sadly.  
  
"That's nice of him." I replied and we locked eyes for a moment. "What about Knives?"  
  
"The doctor is trying to save him now...but I think it's a losing battle, Mr. Vash knows that too, I can see it in his face." Millie looked down at her hands, which were clenched tightly together. "This is all my fault!"  
  
"No Millie! This wasn't your fault...well what did happen anyway?" I asked but noticed the distant look in Millie's eyes. She was deep in thought and probably hadn't even heard my question.  
  
"Meryl I think Mr. Vash could do with some company right now." Millie spoke up suddenly and I looked at her with a startled look. "He'll be upset about his brother and he'll need a shoulder to cry on."  
  
"But I don't want to leave you here by yourself."  
  
"Please Meryl, I'd rather you be with Mr. Vash right now."  
  
"Well...if you're sure." I murmured and entered the house again. Vash, Knives and the doctor had apparently left the room so I crossed over to the stairs and glanced up them. I could hear a sound that sounded like crying and knew that it could only be Vash.  
  
I crept up the stairs trying to squash the feeling of fear inside of me as I neared the top. My eyes settled on his dejected figure as he stood by the door, his head bowed forward and cradled in his hands. His shoulders shook as he cried and for a brief moment he actually looked his age; broken and frail.  
  
"Vash..." I whispered and he looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears, which trembled down his face. He tried to give me a reassuring smile but failed miserably and let his head drop forwards again. Somehow I managed to walk over to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Why did this man have to receive so much pain and agony in his life?  
  
"He's going to die." Vash's voice was choked with tears.  
  
"The doctor is trying to save him Vash, me might not have to." I hoped I was sounding reassuring.   
  
"No...there is nothing the doc can do for him."  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"I just...know." He covered his face with his hands again and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. I stood over him wondering what to do in such a situation. I had never really been the comforting sort but I felt a great need to make this man feel better.  
  
Carefully I knelt beside him and wrapped one arm around his shoulders pulling him slightly sideways so he leant against me. 'You can lean on me now' I thought, 'you chose to lean on the wall before when we were in that horrible place...but I won't let you rely on a wall this time.'  
  
He didn't react to this unusual act of affection by me at all, just leant against me like a weeping child and me a protective mother. I suppose that was all Vash was really, a lonely, scared child who needed a mom to take care of him. Rem was taken from him when he was just over a year old and since then he had been alone...apart from Knives. Sure he hadn't been with Knives long but at this moment in time that evil twin was the closest thing he had to family. If he died then Vash would be completely alone in this world whether I stayed with him or not.  
  
He stirred me from his thoughts when he shifted slightly, one arm wrapping around my waist as he buried his face against my neck, I could feel the moisture of his tears on my skin, which was being cooled by his shaky breath. I trembled slightly from the strange sensation of having him so close and reached up to stroke through his mussed hair.  
  
"It's okay Vash." I whispered into his blonde hair, which had long ago fallen from its usual style.   
  
He tightened his grip around me so suddenly that the breath was pushed from my lungs and for a moment I couldn't breathe. Being so close to him was already messing with my senses but it didn't help when I wasn't getting enough oxygen to my brain.  
  
Suddenly the door to Vash's room opened and the doctor stepped out, the look in his eyes said much more than words ever could.   
  
"Your brother...he wants to speak with you." He said quietly, "I don't know how long he has left." I felt Vash tense and I tightened my grip around his shoulders briefly before releasing him and standing up. He looked at me shakily as if he was going to faint before standing up as well.   
  
"I'll wait here." I told him and stepped aside as he passed by me without recognition. The look in his eyes almost made me wish he had been wearing his sunglasses.

* * *

Normal POV  
  
Vash closed the door behind him and glanced over at his brother who was lying on his bed on the far side of the room. The window had been left open and the curtain was fluttering like the wings of some white bird. There was a heavy sense of impending death already settling in the room like a shroud and yet a little spark of life shining from within the depths.  
  
He approached cautiously and sat on a chair, which had position beside his bed near the pillow. Knives' pale face turned very slightly as if to acknowledge that he knew his brother was there but he said nothing.  
  
"Does it hurt much?" Vash asked.  
  
"Not really...I can't believe that spider...managed to damage a superior." He scowled slightly.  
  
"Maybe they aren't so inferior after all?" Vash asked, hoping that maybe Knives would have a change of heart.  
  
The laugh, which was uttered from his dying brother, made him realise that his brother would never change; the hate for humans had buried itself too deep within him.  
  
"Any way I didn't ask you in here to talk about humans."  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"I...never meant to hurt you...I know that's what I was doing...but..." He paused and drew in a pained breath. "I just wanted you to forget those inferior beings and come back to me, you always seemed to choose humans over me. Over your very own brother!"  
  
"That's not true Knives, I never favoured anyone...I just wanted everyone to be equal..." A few tears escaped from his aqua eyes as he watched his brother. "I wanted us to be like normal brothers, but the only way you would let that be possible was if I followed your lead and killed people."  
  
"I never meant to kill her you know." Knives whispered, his blue eyes slightly open. Vash's eyes widened and he glanced back at his brother for a long time.  
  
"You wanted to kill everyone else though Knives...she could never allow something like that to happen." Vash laughed, "She even told me to take care of you, she loved you too Knives, you were just too angry to see it."  
  
"Love...a pathetic emotion..."  
  
"You...you don't love me, not even your own brother?" Vash tried to hold back the second torrent of tears.  
  
"My heart isn't capable of loving to any degree." He replied sadly. "But yes Vash I do care for you...just not enough to listen to what you want that's all."  
  
"You're too stubborn."  
  
"So are you." Knives shot back.  
  
Vash paused and glanced over the wound on Knives' chest, which was bleeding through the thick bandage. The injured man coughed and a little blood trickled from his mouth, he couldn't hold on much longer.  
  
"Is there nothing you can do Knives? To stop the bleeding? Anything?" Vash asked but his brother shook his head and closed his eyes. For a moment he looked as if he was all right until his frame shook with a fit of coughing, he opened his mouth to say something more but the words caught in his throat as the flame inside him flickered and died.  
  
Vash bowed his head and tried to fight the tears that were threatening and wished more than anything else that maybe now he could receive some peace that he had always hoped for. The tears finally grew too much of a burden to hold back and he cried freely, unaware of the raven-haired woman sobbing quietly from outside the door.  
  
Millie looked up from the chair as Meryl came down the stairs, her face stained with newly shed tears. The tall girl had done her best to clean up the kitchen and was glad that the doctor had called on some of his friends to take Ivory away, they had promised to come back later for Knives when Vash was ready to let him go.  
  
"Is he alright?" Millie asked gently as her friend sat down opposite her.  
  
"No."  
  
"How about you?"  
  
"I would be lying if I said yes." Meryl's eyes filled with tears again, "Why did this have to happen now Millie? I was just about to tell him...and..." She trailed off sadly.  
  
"You can still tell him Meryl, you never know. He might say yes."  
  
"If he did it would be because he isn't thinking straight and I don't want that. I would rather stay friends with him."  
  
"But if you don't tell him you'll never get to be with him. Is that what you really want?"  
  
"Of course not...but when has he ever given me reason to believe he thinks more of me than a friend - never!" She raised her eyes to glare at Millie, "I won't put more strain on him now, and he doesn't need any more burdens after this. Anyway it never would have worked." She was building back the barriers, which had fallen apart whilst comforting Vash.  
  
Millie smiled sadly and leaned on her palm. "I wish I could have stopped it from happening."  
  
"What exactly did happen?"  
  
"Me and Ivory were cooking dinner when Knives came down the stairs, Ivory got a little nervous because of what he did to her before. Obviously he noticed her fear and tried to take advantage of it...he happened to mention her sister and how it was him who was linked with her death not his brother." Millie paused and drew in a shaky breath, "Ivory went berserk, she yelled at him for being an awful person and started screaming about finally getting her revenge. She grabbed the knife I had been using to chop up some vegetables and went for him."  
  
"Surely he could have blocked it?"  
  
"He was still weak and not expecting her to try anything like that, she hit him in the chest and he knocked her back really hard..." Millie paused, the tears stopping her from continuing, "She hit her head on the edge of the table when she fell. There was so much blood...it was everywhere and I couldn't stop it. Oh Meryl, her eyes were so awful...there was no life left inside of them."  
  
Meryl stood up and walked around to Millie and for the second time that day she comforted a friend even though her own heart was suffering. The hope inside of her had finally died.

* * *

2 weeks later...  
  
Vash stood by the window enjoying the cool evening breeze, which helped calm his torn soul. Sure he had never been very close to his brother but when he had died, a part of himself had died too. Meryl and Millie had been very patient with him over the last few days since what had happened but he was beginning to sense a tension building in the house.  
  
Millie had been her usual happy self, doing her best to cheer everyone up. She had succeeded quite a few times and with her help he was starting to feel the agony slip away to a dull ache. He was more concerned for the small girl though, since that day when she had comforted him before the doctor came back she had been acting extremely strange, especially around him. It was like she had shut herself off completely from the world.  
  
She hardly said a word to anyone and he remembered this morning at breakfast when the three of them had been sitting around the table. Millie had tried to start up conversation but with Vash still half asleep and Meryl deep in thought they had remained quiet. He had found his gaze drawn toward the small insurance girl and noticed how pale and fragile she looked, he never remembered a time when she had been so fragile looking, 'had what happened really affected her so badly?' He wondered.   
  
He had wanted to ask how she was but before he managed to get a word in she was getting up and walking out of the door without a word.  
  
A sound from outside the room caught his attention and he glanced over at the door curiously.  
  
"Meryl, you really should tell him." Millie's voice could easily be heard through the thin walls of the small house.  
  
"I've had about enough, I've told you already why I won't." Meryl replied, a distinct anger in her voice. Vash had never ever heard the short girl talk that way to her best friend and he carefully crossed the room and opened the door.  
  
They were standing outside their room, both of them looking extremely upset and he tilted his head inquisitively and coughed to draw attention. They both jumped and looked at him with startled eyes. There was a faint trace of a blush on Meryl's face before she dived into her room and closed the door, leaving Millie looking at the gunman in slight embarrassment.  
  
"How are you Mr. Vash?" She asked quietly.  
  
"I'm fine, but what's with the small girl...and what should she tell me?"  
  
"I really think you should ask her, it's not my place to say." Millie replied and sidled back into her own room.  
  
Vash nodded and stepped forward, knocking on the door lightly and waiting for her to ask who it was. Instead the door opened and he found himself looking into the irritated gaze if the insurance girl.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I wanted to come to talk to you."  
  
"Why what's wrong now?"  
  
"Nothing...well not really." Vash sighed.  
  
"Well can you go? I'm kind of busy."  
  
"Can I talk to you for a moment?"  
  
"Fine, just hurry up." She opened the door fully and stepped aside to let him past.

* * *

Vash's POV  
  
I stood nervously watching as she settled in a chair by her desk and looked at the report she had obviously started writing. For a moment she sat with her fingers poised over the keys and I wondered whether she was just going to ignore my presence. Then she sighed suddenly and took her hands away before turning to look at me.  
  
"Is something bothering you? I've told you before that you can take all the time you need, me and Millie earn more than enough to support us in this small house." Her matter of fact manner brought a smile to my face.  
  
"I've been worried about you." I said simply - and noted the surprise in her violet eyes - she obviously hadn't expected that.  
  
"Well you don't need to be, I'm completely fine."  
  
"You have been really quiet lately, and you haven't shouted at me for days."  
  
"That's because you haven't annoyed me, you haven't really done anything."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Well don't be, it's completely understandable after what has happened to you. I don't see how you find the strength to live."  
  
"It's not that hard," I shrugged as I contemplated what she had said, maybe it was because I disapprove of suicide or perhaps it was the curiosity to see what would happen to me in the future that kept me from giving in. I wasn't too sure but I knew that I couldn't give up on life so easily.  
  
I watched her as she turned to the typewriter again and looked at the paper she had already threaded into the strange looking contraption. There was something very different about her but I couldn't quite make it out. Since the day my brother and that girl...killed each other she had become withdrawn and quiet. I hadn't expected her to be affected so badly by it but there was definitely something on her mind.  
  
My mind wandered back to the conversation between her and Millie a few moments before, the tall girl had definitely said something that suggested Meryl was hiding something from me. I tried speaking up again, "Is there something you are keeping from me?"  
  
I watched the muscles in her shoulders tense up as she froze in the chair, her head bowed slightly.  
  
"You heard us?" Her voice was...scared?  
  
"Well it was pretty hard not to." I gave a nervous laugh.  
  
"Well don't worry...it's nothing important."   
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes!" She snapped and stood up suddenly, turning round to face me. Her eyes were dark with anger and something else I couldn't quite see. She seemed to realise she had sounded a little angry and her face softened, "It's just something I have to work out alone okay."  
  
"Alright." I backed up towards the door, keeping my gaze fixed on the ground so as to avoid any eye contact with her. "But..." She looked up at me "You know you can trust me...if you want someone to talk to then I'm always here." I grinned and left the room hoping that maybe she would speak up about whatever was bothering her.

* * *

Meryl POV  
  
My heart clenched at hearing those simple words spoken by him as he exited the room and I knew then why I loved him so much. There was a deep kindness inside of him that reached down and warmed my heart. If only I could tell him what was bothering me, I laughed slightly as I thought of the shocked expression on his face. He had no idea what was on my mind at all.  
  
I turned back to the typewriter to finish my report and try to push away the longing ache in my heart. Then I watched as the suns made their decent into the darkness as night enveloped the sky like a pair of black wings being furled. Stars studded the inky black sky and the moons in all their glory shone delicate tendrils of light into the room.  
  
I had no idea how late it was and the only sound I could hear was Millie's soft snoring from the room opposite mine. I remembered how I had shouted at her earlier and hoped that she would forgive me for being so horrible. She was only trying to help me and I bet she was getting quite annoyed at my continuous depression, which was steadily getting worse over the last few days.  
  
I stood up and crossed the room to my door, gently opening it and peering out into the cool corridor. Millie's door was closed and I wondered whether she would be annoyed if I woke her up. I didn't think I would be able to sleep until I had apologised to her, but should my guilt mean that she has to be disturbed too?  
  
Sighing miserably I stepped out onto the cold floor and stood by her door for a moment. Her soft snoring was a good indicator that she was in a deep sleep and I knew I shouldn't disturb her.  
  
Turning my head slightly my eyes fell onto the door that led into Vash's room, it was hanging slightly open and I thought again about the words he had spoken to me earlier. Feeling no urge to sleep I crossed the hallway and opened the door to his room a little more. The thought that this might not be such a great idea never even crossed my mind as I took a small step into his darkened room.   
  
The curtains had been closed in a lazy manner so that a steady stream of moonlight slipped through and into the room. It was dark but not too dark that I couldn't see Vash's form lying on the bed obviously asleep. His even, quiet breathing filled the room and I felt suddenly nervous as if I was trespassing in some sacred place.  
  
Pushing all the fear to the back of my mind I made my way over to him and glanced nervously at his face. His eyes were closed and he looked simply beautiful, as he lay there cuddled up against the pillow, which he was clinging to. I smiled gently and sat on a chair beside his bed so I could feel more comfortable. Reaching out my hand I carefully stroked the hair from his face and absorbed the warmth from his skin. Without warning he moved, rolling over so that he was facing the wall and I felt my heart constrict painfully.  
  
"You're so annoying, do you know that?" I questioned him with a smirk, "Here I am coming in here trying to tell you something important and you just turn away from me." The smile faded, maybe I could tell him how I was feeling. Perhaps it would help a little if I told him, even if he was sleeping. "I have been feeling totally crazy lately and I'm still trying to figure out why. I think I know what is basically wrong with me though." I paused and fought to get the right words out. "Well...the..." I paused and listened to his soft breathing. "How pathetic am I...I can't even tell you when you are asleep." I laughed quietly.  
  
I turned around so I was facing the opposite side of the room, hoping that maybe not having him in my vision might help me get the words out. "The truth is that my feelings for you have changed." I nodded and desperately tried to make a mental note of what I was saying, maybe one day when I could tell him then I could refer back to this moment.  
  
"I mean at first you were just a job to me, but after time you became a friend and then after an even longer amount of time you took up an even larger place in my heart. I guess what I am trying to say is that...I love you." I paused feeling the bitter tears in my eyes. "I know that nothing can come of this, seeing as you are fast asleep but also because you think of me as nothing but an insurance girl. Plus I was always angry with you all the time, never giving you a break and always screaming and yelling threats. It's not just that reason though, we are too different from each other and you live...well maybe forever whilst I will just fade away." I wiped my eyes and shivered slightly against a sudden cold, which had crept around me. "I don't even think you could learn to love me, your heart has been battered so much that perhaps you'll find it impossible to grow close to anyone, and I don't blame you." I drew in a deep breath hoping to find some strength in it.  
  
"I'll probably never be able to tell you this to your face...I don't want to put you into a difficult position because of me, I don't want to burden you with my pathetic feelings, and I definitely don't want to scare you away. Just having you near me as a friend is better than not having you at all. I don't think I could bear it if you left."  
  
I stood up again and turned to look at him, he was still facing the wall unfazed by my words and I felt the tears creep back. I had half expected to turn around and see him sitting up in bed with his eyes wide and shining with pleasant surprise. I reached out to him tentatively and rested a hand on his shoulder and enjoyed the warmth that absorbed into me.  
  
"Goodnight." I whispered and stepped out of the room too scared to look back and desperate for Vash to finally find the freedom he deserved.

* * *

Normal POV  
  
A moment of silence filled the room, which echoed with the memories of the insurance girl's confession. The figure in the bed rolled over, his aqua eyes open but glittering with unshed tears. It had taken all of his strength to lie still whilst she had poured her heart out to him and now he wondered whether he should have said something to her.  
  
One tear escaped and soaked into the pillow he was resting on and he closed his eyes briefly. He couldn't believe that Meryl could ever have felt anything like that for him but he knew she hadn't lied. Her tone had been honest and so full of pain and yet she understood the situation and Vash knew in his heart that he could never commit himself to a relationship. It would break him apart to watch as Meryl - with her mortal life - grew old and left him alone. Yet wasn't this pain breaking him apart right now? Oh and how he loved her.  
  
He sat up and leaned against the wall that separated his room from Meryl's whilst the tears flowed freely down his ever-youthful face. Soon he heard the muffled cries of his heartbroken insurance girl next door, and even though she never knew it Vash was doing exactly the same.

* * *

Angel: _-is crying-_ why?! Oh why was it so sad?!  
  
Knives: You're the author...  
  
Angel: So?  
  
Knives: So why didn't you make it happy?  
  
Angel: Because I wasn't in a happy mood.  
  
Knives: I'm not in a happy mood either...  
  
Angel: Why?  
  
Knives: Vash ate all the donuts...it was the only food we had left.  
  
Vash: They were good donuts!  
  
Angel: Wha? Damn I'm starving...  
  
Knives: _-hits Vash over the head with Kuroneko-  
_  
Vash: ouch, that's so mean!  
  
Kuroneko: _-scratches Knives-_   
  
Knives: Ahhh that damn miniature beast of burden!! _-Flails around and hit's Angel in the face-  
_  
Angel: Ahhh _-let's go of the steering wheel-  
_  
Vash: uhh shouldn't you be watching the road?  
  
_-Car crashes into a sand dune-  
_  
Knives: _-crawls out from the sand-_ great now we're stranded.  
  
Vash: oh come on bro it's not all that bad...we have...uhh...  
  
Angel: ME!  
  
Vash Knives: _-falls over anime style-  
_  
Angel: hey I'm not so bad!  
  
Knives: You are worse than that mangy cat.  
  
Kuroneko: _-hisses and attacks Knives-  
_  
Vash: at least we have entertainment, it's just like in the cartoons   
  
Angel: So I guess we are stuck here until I write another story.  
  
Vash: _-hands her a notebook and pen-_ I'll be your muse.  
  
Angel: ooo-kay! Hey Knives, we should be getting out of here pretty soon.  
  
Knives: _-lying on the sand with Kuroneko sitting on him-_ that's...good  
  
Angel: Until next time readers, Love and...  
  
Vash: Peace! _-strikes the pose-_

_

* * *

_  
Once again I apologise for the long wait and if I have made some mistakes it's because I rushed with the read through. I hope it was worth the wait and I would like to thank my reviewers who stuck with me through this fic. There will be more from me soon.   
  
Angelarms


End file.
